Kanata
by BabySealLover
Summary: Kanata Fujibayashi was once a proud member of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. But ten years ago, she disappeared without a trace. Now, she's returned with the hope of starting over with a new life. The only problem: How does she expect to keep her dark secrets hidden from the villagers, the Hokage, and most of all, an old friend from her childhood with the name of Kakashi Hatake?
1. Chapter 1

Return to the Village Hidden in the Leaves/ A Slightly Expected Yet Rather Awkward Encounter.

The gates of the Village Hidden in the Leaves stood before me, tall and proud as ever. The village in itself was a proud one, with powerful forces and wealth and integrity. Many fond and very distant memories existed here. It was the village I'd grown up to protect and love. It was the village for which my heart ached for so long. But it was also a village I hadn't seen in ten years.

I was returning home after a decade-long absence, unsure if I was even ready for the moment I'd have to face everything and everyone I left behind.

Perhaps this wouldn't even work. I'd been away for so long, would the Leaf even feel like home, anymore? Would I just be a stranger among other strangers as I had been since I left? The idea of having no home to return to always made me so sick to my stomach. I lost the privilege to walk back in to the village and pretend like nothing happened years ago. I got the feeling that the only option I had at this point was to try to start over.

But after everything I'd endured and all the changes I'd gone through, I wondered if I would even be able to connect with the people here again.

_You'll only know if you try, _a voice inside my head murmured.

I sighed and clutched my bag firmly with my fingers. Only a few steps and I'd be inside the gate. "Tatsu, give me strength," I whispered and moved forward.

Just before I took the step that would put me within the village limits, someone blocked my path. My heart did a somersault as I jumped backwards, almost but not quite falling on my butt in the grass. When I looked up a man in Leaf Anbu Black Ops uniform stood ahead of me. "What's your business with the Leaf Village?" he demanded in a rough tone.

What a pain. I had figured that they wouldn't simply let some strange person wander in without permission, but after counting about how many times I was going to have to explain myself today, I really wasn't in the mood.

"My name is Kanata Fujibayashi," I said boldly and clearly. "I'm a Leaf Shinobi. About ten years ago I left the village... And now I'm back." I fished through my bag and pulled out my Leaf Village headband.

When I held it out to the Anbu Shinobi, he took it and inspected it carefully. "Ten years ago, huh? Your name. Kanata? It's sewn into the back of your headband."

"If you just let me see the Hokage I can prove who I am." Then I added, "Please?" onto the end.

I had no idea what sort of expression he had on his face because of his Anbu mask, but after a moment he seemed to have given it some thought and handed my headband back to me. "All right, then. Go ahead. See the two men at the gate. They'll take you where you need to go."

Without so much as a farewell, he bounded away, probably back to his position. I doubted any of them would take their eyes off me though, until they knew for sure that I wasn't a threat.

The two men on the left inside of the gate looked surprised when they saw me. I've never been the best at reading peoples' expressions, so I couldn't quite decide if I had any idea what was on their minds or not. They did get visitors sometimes, didn't they? Maybe I was the only action they'd seen all day for all I knew. But I tried not to over-think it. Instead I approached them with a forced smile on my face. Hopefully it looked at least a little bit genuine.

"Hi, there, gentlemen," I said in my friendliest voice. "I'm Kanata Fujibayashi and I'm requesting audience with the Hokage. I was hoping one of you could point me in the right direction."

The one to the left brushed his long bangs out of his eyes. "Uh... and what business exactly do you have with the leaf?"

The other, however, with a strange-looking bandage over his nose, caught me off-guard. "Wait... _Kana _Fujibayashi?"

I resisted the urge to flinch. No one had called me by the name, "Kana" since I left the Leaf. Furthermore, it was a name that a very few people had ever used when speaking to me directly, although for some reason everyone knew me by it.

Apparently they still did.

The man continued without my response. "It's been so long I hardly recognized you! Remember me, Kotetsu? Kotetsu Hagane? From Squad 4?"

I couldn't say as I remembered him and actually be honest about it. Because I didn't remember him in the slightest. But I was willing to humor him. "Right... Kotetsu. It's good to see you."

"Where have you been all this time?" he asked.

"You actually know her?" the other one asked, confused.

I shifted my stance uncomfortably. "Well... it isn't important at the moment. I'd love to chat, really... but I need to see Lord Hokage and I really... hoped you could help."

People skills was something I lacked. In epic proportions.

Kotetsu Hagane's eyes widened as he recalled his position, and nodded. "Oh, yeah, sure. Sorry about that. I'll take you there right away. Be back, Izumo."

As I walked with Kotetsu on my way to meet with the Hokage, I took a little time to glance around and refamiliarize myself with my surroundings. It was then that I realized, not much had changed. The people clearly had, but the appearance and atmosphere seemed similar... if not, the same. All of the buildings were exactly where they used to be, as far as I could remember. Old forgotten memories were coming back to me as I passed certain places, like the flower shop and Ichiraku Ramen. I hadn't realized just how much I hadn't even thought about in so many years. The last time I was here felt like an eternity ago.

The mountain bearing the faces of past Hokage was also just the same as I remembered. So wonderful and majestic-looking.

Few people were on the streets, but the ones who were stopped to look as Kotetsu and I walked by. I wondered if some of them were people I used to know, but if they were, I didn't recognize them. And I couldn't quite tell if any of them recognized me.

However, one of them did.

A loud, overwhelming shout came from behind me and Kotetsu, sending shivers down our spines as we jumped out of our skins. "_HEY, THERE, YOU TWO!"_

Kotetsu sighed in frustation, and when I turned around, I saw a face that I immediately recognized.

"Do my eyes deceive me? Is that really you, Kanata? You sure haven't changed a bit. You remember me, right? It's your old pal, Guy." He gave me an overly dramatic thumbs up.

_Yeah, _I _haven't changed a bit. I feel like I'm going back in time, here._

"Yes, Guy, I remember you," I said with a smile. "It's great to see you."

And I meant it. Might Guy had been one of my best friends when we were kids.

"We really need to get going-" Kotetsu began.

"Ah!" Guy interrupted. "I caught you at a bad time. Hey, you guys aren't on a date, are you?"

Kotetsu's jaw dropped and his face reddened in embarrassment. _Men._

"I just got here, Guy." I shook my head. "He's taking me to see Lord Hokage."

"Oh, I gotcha!" he exclaimed, flailing around like he always does. Or, used to as far as I know. "Well, I'll get goin', then. The day is young and the beauty of youth should be cherished! Hey, let's get together and have a challenge sometime. I'll see if you've got what it takes to beat this Guy!" He pointed to himself and flashed his teeth.

"Sounds like a plan," I nodded.

With a, "See you later," he dashed off in the other direction and never looked back.

I chuckled and turned to Kotetsu. "He literally hasn't changed at all."

"He never does," Kotetsu replied, sounding exhausted.

I started to get nervous as we approached the Hokage's headquarters. Perhaps he wouldn't take me back. Or he'd get suspicious and have me locked up. It wasn't like the Third Hokage I knew to do something like that. But, in ten years... not everything can go unchanged.

Kotetsu brought me inside and the two of us ascended the stairs to the large door that led to the chamber of the Hokage. I took in a deep breath as Kotetsu knocked.

"Come in," a deep, gravelly voice called back from inside.

The door seemed to open in slow motion. It took forever for that moment to end, in between the time that the door was closed and the time that it was open and I could see the Hokage, wrinkled and faded with age. He also had a member of the Anbu Black Ops standing in the corner, as if just waiting for sudden danger. I stepped through the threshold beside Kotetsu, attempting to slow my heart rate with deep breaths.

"Lord, Hokage..." Kotetsu said respectfully, with a slight bow. "You have a visitor. This is Kanata Fujibayashi."

The Hokage had a confused look on his face for a moment. Then he stood and came towards me. Unsure what else to do, I bowed. "Lord Hokage, it's good to see you."

"Kanata?" he asked. "You're the Kanata who disappeared ten years ago?"

"Yes..." I nodded hesitantly. "I'm back."

He moved close to me and looked me in the eyes. I had to fight to hold his gaze because I was so nervous. But I managed, and he smiled and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Kanata, it's been so long. Welcome home."

I let go of the breath I'd been holding and smiled back. "Oh... thank you, Sir. It's good to be home."

"Kotetsu, thank you for bringing her here," he said gently. "Would you mind excusing yourself for a bit?"

Kotetsu bowed. "Of course." And with that he left the room.

Lord Hokage lowered his hand at that point and went to sit himself back down at his desk. "So, you're back..."

_Uh-oh... it's question time._

I clasped my hands behind my back so I wouldn't be tempted to play with my hair or tap my fingers. "Yeah... here I am."

"Kanata... you've been gone for ten years. Everyone thought you were dead. I need you to tell me what happened."

One thing I wasn't very good at was lying. But I'd had to do it a lot in the last few years, and I was pretty sure I'd gotten a little better at it. Luckily I already came up with something before I got here. It wasn't very creative or anything, but hopefully it would do the trick if I acted convincing enough.

"Well..." I murmured. "I actually don't know. The first few years I spent away... I don't really remember them at all. For a long time I trained with a man named Tatsu... but he's gone now."

"So, you don't remember the first few years... that's a good indication that something important happened. After that you trained under a master, you say? And how long ago did he die?"

"Only a few months ago." Another lie. "That's why I came back. I was alone after he died."

"I'm sorry about that," Lord Hokage said genuinely. He looked away for a moment, as if to collect his thoughts before speaking again. "And how, if I might ask, did he die?"

"He succumbed to an illness. He didn't tell me anything about it at first, but apparently he'd been battling it for years." I had to admit, it was difficult not to act like a robot while I was telling him this. I knew I should have had some kind of emotion in my voice... hopefully I had something there. But all I was doing was spewing out lies. It felt unnatural and kind of gross.

"I see..." he murmured. "Other than the last few months that you spent on your own, did you spend any other amount of time away from this Tatsu as far as you can remember?"

"No... Tatsu said he found me for the first time somewhere in the woods, and saved me. I don't remember anything before that. And I spent the last years of his life training under him."

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" The Hokage asked. "Anything at all?"

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, I wish there was more to tell. But anything else that might be significant, I just can't remember. I'm sorry."

The Hokage turned to the Anbu soldier in the corner. "What do you make of this?"

"Well..." he replied. "We can't rule out any possibilities. There's a lot of missing information here. I suppose there isn't much to go on, from what she's told us. There isn't even any proof that there's anything serious going on. The only way to be sure is to get her memories back. But I wouldn't know how to start on that."

The Hokage gazed at me intensely. "I hate to say this and I'm sure you must understand, but you can't be completely trusted until we know that you aren't a threat to us."

"Ethically, we can't lock her up without any proof," the soldier stated.

"I know that. I don't think it would be right to send her away, either... perhaps she should be checked into the hospital. Mostly to make sure that she's healthy... and they could keep an eye on her there for a few days."

_Oh, please, no... _

This was going to get extremely awkward.

"Someone's outside," the soldier said abruptly, crossing the room and opening the window. With his head turned, he demanded, "What are you doing out there?"

When the soldier pulled his head back inside, a familiar figure followed him. A strange-looking man stepped through the window with a book in his hand and nodded to the Hokage. "Sorry for the interruption, but I was in the neighborhood and I couldn't help overhearing your conversation."

The man wore a standard Jounin uniform, complete with the green vest that I had always imagined myself hating to wear as I got older. He had his free hand stuffed in his pocket, and he had this lazy stance and posture that gave the impression of, "I really don't care, so you're wasting my time because...?". His left eye was covered by his headband. The other eye was narrowed and relaxed, but still thoughtful and focused on the Hokage as he greeted him.

I knew who this man was now. I'd known from the second he stepped through the window. If nothing else, the silver hair and the dark blue mask covering his mouth and nose gave it away. It was clearly, unmistakably... someone I'd been expecting to see, but someone I was almost afraid to see; Kakashi Hatake.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi, everybody! I'm BabySealLover and I'm posting my second chapter for this story. I'm a huge Kakashi fan, and I know that there are a lot of these, but I wanted to write my own story about Kakashi and an original character. I've been developing the idea for a while now, but only recently started writing it down. And I had this desire to show somebody! So, here it is, ready or not.**

**Basically, this story is about a young woman who disappeared from the Leaf ten years ago, and has now returned home in an attempt at a fresh start. I know I have that this is romance... and in a way, it is. However, any romance that might get involved is probably going to be little to none for quite a while. The romance isn't really important right now. It's more about Kana's development and trying to find a new home in her heart. It goes a lot into her history, and the history and friendship between her and Kakashi... as well as her budding relationships with other characters.**

**So, anyway, hope the people who read enjoy! **

Kana Fujibayashi and Kakashi Hatake/ Almost Strangers, and Yet...

"What can I do for you, Kakashi?" the Hokage asked. "I'm afraid I'm a little busy at the moment."

I glanced back and forth between the Hokage and Kakashi, trying to decide my next move. Should I say something? But what would I say? I tried to calculate how far I would get if I tried to run. Probably not far at all... Leaf Shinobi were known for being fast. And speed wasn't my strongest suit. Maybe if I just froze the three of them I would get a head start. Of course, then I'd just be making myself an enemy, and that was the last thing I wanted.

_Earn their trust, Kana. Don't be a coward._

Kakashi nodded. "I know. And believe me, I'd rather not stick my nose where it doesn't belong, but when I heard you talking I couldn't help myself."

The Hokage sighed. "So, you have suggestion, I assume? You're here because of Kanata; you must remember her, then."

Kakashi glanced in my direction briefly, but the conversation continued to go on as if I weren't present. "Yeah, I do. And as a matter of fact, I _do_ have a suggestion. You're trying to decide what to do with her, right? But you can't lock her up for no reason... and I, personally, don't think that the hospital is the best place for her, either."

"And why do you say that?" the Hokage asked.

Kakashi shrugged. "Well, I suppose she should get checked out... but she doesn't belong in a hospital bed. She has amnesia, not the black plague. I think that any chance she might have of jogging her memories is being out in public with people. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Of course, but what else can I do?"

"Let me take care of her."

I stared at him in surprise. Kakashi was offering to be my babysitter. Automatically, I assumed that there must have been some crazy motive. There was no way he would do something like that for me. We hadn't seen each other in ten years. Granted, we had quite a long and somewhat heart-wrenching history together... but it was history. Was there any chance he was doing this for me? Did he have some other reason? Or... was he perhaps, simply doing it out of the kindness of his heart?

Lord Hokage also seemed put a bit out of sorts by Kakashi's proposal. "Let you take care of her? But, wouldn't that be too much trouble for you with all your other responsibilities?"

Once again, Kakashi shrugged. "Her old house is right next door to mine. I can keep an eye on her. Get her re-aquainted with the village."

"And your students? You'll be meeting them tomorrow, you know."

Students. So Kakashi had become a Sensei. Interesting.

"I can introduce them," Kakashi said. "I can even bring her on missions if you'd be okay with that."

The Hokage seemed to consider his reply for a moment. "Hmmm... well, I suppose it would be all right. Kanata?"

I had gotten so used to being invisible that I almost didn't notice when he called on me. "Uh, yes?"

"Is this okay with you?" Lord Hokage asked. "Would you be willing to give this a try?"

_Well, if it's this or the hospital, then..._

I nodded. "Sure. I'm okay with it."

I glanced over to the soldier in the corner. He hadn't said anything in a while. The Anbu Black Ops were so interesting. I often wondered what thoughts went through their heads, since I could never see their faces.

The Hokage folded his arms across his chest. "All right, then. It's settled. Kakashi, you will watch over Kana and see that she is comfortable and out of trouble until I see fit for her to be on her own. However,". He turned his gaze toward me. "I will schedule a physical exam and a skills exam for tomorrow... I think we should know the condition you're in."

I guessed that was fair. I really would have rather not had to deal with either of those exams, but, once again, if they were keeping me from being detained in the hospital, I was not about to complain.

"... Sounds good," I said.

The Hokage nodded. "All right, then. You are both dismissed. Kanata, I'll be scheduling your exams early in the morning, so try to get as comfortable as you can and have a good night's sleep."

I smiled. "Okay. Thank you very much." Kakashi was already walking out the door with his head stuck in his book, so I took a brief bow, and gave a gentle head nod to the soldier, and exited the Hokage's room.

I followed Kakashi all the way down the stairs and on to the main street. He didn't say a word; he just moved forward obliviously with that book in his hand. What was he reading, anyway? I quickened my step to catch up with him and leaned forward to try and get a glimpse of the title of his book. On the front cover, it said, _Make Out Paradise._

I felt my eyebrows crease. What kind of a book was that? Did I even want to know? I had a feeling that I would regret asking him what it was about.

Instead, I started with simply trying to get his attention. "So... Kakashi. _Make Out Paradise, _huh? Never thought I'd come back here to see you reading something like that."

In that moment, Kakashi looked up and shut his book awkwardly. Then, he shoved it in his back pocket. "Just one of my hobbies..."

I pursed my lips. _Come on, Kana. Just talk to him._

"Anyway..." I smiled at him. "Thanks for... helping me out. I'll try not to cause too much trouble."

"It's not a big deal," he replied lazily.

I shook my head. "But it is. You didn't have to offer to help. But you did, anyway. So, thanks." Then, against my better judgment, I added, "Why'd you do it?"

He stuffed both hands in his pockets. "I don't know. Just felt like it, I guess."

"Really...?" I raised my eyebrows. I was just dying for him to give me an honest answer.

He sighed. "Well... maybe I just wanted an excuse to talk to you."

"Talk to me? About...?"

"Everything, I guess... like how you've been, where you've been, and what you've been doing. Stuff like that."

Kakashi was acting surprisingly shy and unsure of himself. When we were younger, I'd never known him to lack in confidence when it came to dealing with other people. Maybe he'd changed... but I'd seen part of the Kakashi I used to know only moments ago, in Lord Hokage's quarters. I considered that he was acting this way with me only because we hadn't seen each other in so long. I mean, I'll admit, I was pretty nervous, myself. But whether it was for the same reasons as him, I would never know for sure.

So, I decided to break the ice.

Stepping in his path, I said, "Okay, then. How about a deal?"

He cocked his head, but he said nothing, so I continued. "I'll tell you anything you want to know, _if_ you buy me some ramen."

For a few seconds, he just watched me, almost as if waiting for me to change my mind or tell him I was joking. But when I simply stood there waiting for his reply, he gave me what looked like may have been a smile and scratched the back of his head. "Okay... let's go get some ramen, then."

I didn't want to completely empty out Kakashi's wallet, so I just ordered a small bowl of regular ramen from Ichiraku's for myself. As soon as it was set in front of me, my mouth started watering; I wolfed it down.

"Wow, you must have been hungry..." Kakashi commented.

On the flip side, I couldn't help noticing that Kakashi didn't order anything for himself. "Aren't you?" I asked in response to his comment.

He shook his head. "No, not really. So, if you want more, I'll be happy to buy it for you."

"No, no," I said, pushing my plate away. I was still hungry, but I didn't want to be rude, and I'd eaten. I wasn't going to starve. "That was fine. Thank you very much."

After a moment of silence, I said, "So, you wanted to ask me some questions, right?"

He met my gaze fully for the first time since Lord Hokage's quarters. "Oh. Right... well, how much would you be willing to answer? Or even, be able to answer... with the loss of memory and all."

"I don't know. Try me."

After some consideration, he asked, "How are you?"

I'd half expected him to go for the big question first. But apparently he'd restrained himself... which worked well for me. "Fine, I guess... tired. And... a little overwhelmed. You?"

I had forgotten that I was letting him ask the questions. However, he didn't seem to mind. He just said, "Fine."

More awkward silence.

"What else?" I prompted. Was he really that nervous to ask?

"Just tell me what you've been up to," he said, looking up at the sky.

I decided to make an effort to be as honest as possible. "Hmm... well... recently, not a whole lot of interesting stuff has been going on in my life. I've kinda been on my own for a while... that's why I decided to come back. I had a really amazing Sensei... who died not too long ago. It's been really lonely without him."

"I'm sorry about that," Kakashi said genuinely.

"There's nothing to be sorry about," I told him. "He wouldn't want me to be upset, anyway. Just the same, I appreciate your condolences."

He watched me briefly before speaking again. I tried to pretend like his gaze didn't make me uncomfortable. "So... you came back because you were lonely... what made you think you'd be happy here? After being gone for so long?"

"I... didn't think I'd be accepted anywhere else." That was probably the most honest statement I'd made today. And perhaps the most painful one. I knew I wouldn't. The people of this village were known for their compassion and nobility. I knew, even if I could never feel at home here again, that these people would accept me. And I found comfort in that truth.

I was starting to get anxious, talking about myself, so I changed to a new subject instead. "So, I hear you're a Sensei, now."

Kakashi laughed, sounding almost embarrassed. "Yeah, I am."

"How long?"

He hesitated. "A while... I don't know. I lose track. Tomorrow I get to meet some new students, so I suppose you'll be tagging along for that."

"Should be interesting," I said with a grin.

"Yeah... anyway, we should be going. It's getting late and you still need to settle in." He motioned for me to follow him and we walked side-by-side once again, mostly silent.

I saw Kakashi's house, and immediately felt nostalgic. It hadn't changed much at all from the outside. And my grandmother's house was still sitting beside it, as it always had.

_Grams..._

"Hey... Kakashi... I have a question."

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Is my Grams...?"

When I turned to face Kakashi, he had a solemn look on his face. "I'm sorry. She died last year."

_Last year._

I half-smiled. "It's okay... I was expecting it. It's just sad. But I'll deal with it."

"If it helps," Kakashi said, "I've kinda been keeping the house clean and stuff since she died. It was a respect thing. So, you won't be going into a dusty house."

"Thanks, Kakashi. That actually means a lot."

"No problem. So, umm... do you want me to go in with you and help with anything...?"

I shook my head. "No, thanks... but if it's all right, I'd rather go by myself for now. I'll be fine."

He nodded and lifted his hands to show that he was backing off. "Say no more... take whatever time you need. I'll be next door if you need anything."

_I'll be next door if you need anything._

Those words sounded so familiar...

After Kakashi left me alone, I walked up the steps to my front door. I took a deep breath. This was not going to be easy. Squaring my shoulders and bracing for the worst, I opened the door and took my first step inside. I knew right away that Kakashi had been serious. This did not look like the home of a woman who died a year ago.

The floors were swept, the surfaces had been polished, the nicknacks had been dusted. In the living room corner sat the chair where Grams used to read stories to me every night, even after I had grown into a teenaged girl. And in the kitchen were the table and chairs, where I always sat and watched her cook. She would always cook rice and some of my favorite seafoods on that stove. And when I earned a treat, she'd bake me a pie. I remembered the time she tried to teach me how to bake a pie, and I almost set the kitchen on fire. I couldn't cook or bake to save my life.

Her favorite floral curtains still hung in the windows. They were in tatters now. But I guessed that Kakashi didn't have the heart to get rid of them.

I went upstairs, and as I proceeded down the hall, I watched the window at the end. That was how I always used to get to Kakashi's house when I didn't want to go out the door and over to his porch. I just climbed out of my window and through his. Sometimes, looking back, I thought maybe I almost spent more time over there than I did over here.

My Grams' room hadn't changed, either. She still had her twin sized bed in that same corner, against the wall, because she always worried she would fall out of bed in the night. Her walls were still painted that lovely shade of lavender, and her carpet was still almost soft enough to sleep on. This was the room that had made me feel so safe and relaxed as a child, even after having a horrible nightmare.

When I finally reached my room, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to handle it. I wondered if Grams had changed it, or completely removed it altogether. After all, she must have given up and accepted that I was just dead or gone at some point.

But when I opened the door, I realized that it remained as unchanged as the rest of the house. My bed, my book collection, my dresser... everything was there.

I stepped over beside my bed and picked up my old stuffed rabbit. Usa-chan, I'd called him when I was younger. Not very creative... but when I first named him I was very little and after I got older I couldn't bare to change it. He had aged. His color was faded... but he was still in wonderful condition, considering he was twenty years old. I dropped my bag and squeezed him tightly against myself. "I'm home, old friend. I'm sorry it took so long."

Grams. She must have waited for me for so long. But I didn't make it back in time. If I'd only come home a year earlier, I could have seen her again. A year ago, I was tracking down a killer. Had I only come home instead... at the least, I could have said goodbye.

"I'm sorry, Grams," I whispered, collapsing on my bed. "I'm so sorry."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, again! This is chapter three of my new story, in which Kakashi and Kana get to meet Kakashi's new students. From here on out, I'm kind of following the story of Naruto, just from a different perspective. Many scenes will be similar to those in Naruto, but often be altered slightly or dramatically due to Kana's presence. And of course, Kana has her own story to tell. So, happy reading!**

**Also, disclaimer: Just to clarify, I have no rights to the Naruto franchise, whatsoever. Just sharing the love!**

The Genin of Squad Seven/A Bunch of Idiots

My exams turned out to be not quite as horrific as I thought. The physical exam was a little awkward, but that was mostly just because of my distaste for physical contact with other people. Any kind of touching had always made me uncomfortable, ever since I was a kid, for... certain reasons. So, when I had a nurse feeling my muscles and joints and checking my heart beat, I all wanted was to run for the hills. But... once again, I banished the desire to run away to the back of my mind.

The skills exam wasn't as irritating, because no one tried to touch me. In fact, no one even really tried to come close to me. However, I was required to use my kekkei genkai. I attempted, in vain, to be exempted from that requirement. In my opinion, my kekkei genkai was far too dangerous to myself, and to other people to use in any situation, unless absolutely necessary. Over the years, I had grown more skilled at controlling its effects, but there were times when it still tended to be full of surprises. So, during the exam, I only used it one time, and only to its lowest extent. I wasn't taking any risks this morning.

After I had completed both tests successfully, I sat and waited for Kakashi to pick me up. We were supposed to head down to the Ninja Academy today to meet his new students. I was actually rather interested to see how he would interact with these children. I hadn't the slightest idea what to expect from this, or what had changed over the years since I was a student. Needless to say, this would be a new experience for me.

And of course, Kakashi decided make me wait over an hour for him to show up. By the time I finally saw him approaching me from a distance, still reading his stupid book, I was ready to strangle him. "Gee, Kakashi," I said in a monotone voice. "Thanks for finally gracing me with your presence."

"Sorry," Kakashi, said as he put his book away. "This old lady needed me to help her carry some groceries. Naturally, I had to help out."

"Your excuses just get better with age," I replied. Which was not true at all. Thinking back, he had already used the exact same excuse on me once when we were kids. Did he just have a list that he recycled over and over again? I just couldn't believe that he still had this habit after ten years. And I got the feeling that this was going to be happening a lot.

Kakashi laughed, a little nervously, and asked, "How were the exams?"

"Not bad, I guess. Certainly not a walk through the cherry tree orchard... but could've been worse." _It was nothing compared to some other things I've been through. _"Anyway," I told him, starting along the path. "Let's go. You're going to make a bad impression on your students."

"They'll get over it," Kakashi said as he followed.

"So," I began, in another effort to make conversation. At least it was a little easier than yesterday. "How many students have you had before?"

"None," Kakashi said simply.

I arched an eyebrow. "None? I assumed you would have at least been assigned a few squads by now... you said you've been a Sensei for quite a while."

"Yeah..." he said. "I've been _assigned_ squads. That doesn't mean that they ever became my students."

Realization donned on me, and now I knew what he meant. "You've never passed any new Genin, have you?"

He shook his head once. "Nope."

"Wow."

"Wow, what?"

"Well..." I met his eyes again. "You must have really high expectations."

"Not really," he said. "I don't think my expectations are that high at all. They're perfectly reasonable to me. None of those other kids deserved to pass. If they had, I would have passed them."

"Fair enough," I said with a smile. "Then... what exactly _are_ your expectations?"

"You'll figure it out."

When we reached the academy, it was past noon. All the other squads were gone. We were the only ones that hadn't shown up yet. I thought Kakashi may have actually gotten _worse _with age.

We headed down the hallway to the classroom, mostly silent, except for one command that Kakashi whispered to me. "Play along."

I wasn't one hundred percent sure what he meant until we were inside the classroom. The door was slightly ajar. Kakashi placed his hand inside of it to push it open, when I saw the chalkboard eraser on top. "Kakashi-" I began.

_Plop._

The eraser bounced off his head and hit the floor. Not that it mattered; Kakashi's hair was the same color as the chalk.

Epic fail.

Obnoxious laughter filled the room as Kakashi bent down to pick up the eraser. The laughter came from a young boy of twelve, with a head of spiky blonde hair and an orange suit. "He fell for it!" the young boy shouted, practically choking on air. "Did you see that? Did you see that? He totally fell for it!"

_What is there to laugh about?_

The girl behind him with pink hair and a large forehead looked at Kakashi with innocent eyes. "Oh, I'm so sorry Sensei! I told him not to. I'd never do a thing like that."

_Teacher's pet._

And the boy with dark hair planted in a seat didn't say a word. He just sat there like a zombie with a very disturbing expression on his face.

I stepped into the classroom beside Kakashi. He looked at me expectantly. "What do you think of this, Kana?"

I found myself a bit surprised that he wanted my opinion. It wasn't that I didn't think he would want my opinion at all, but until that moment I hadn't taken the time to consider it. It took me a moment to process what it was that he wanted. My eyes grazed over the students. "What do I think...?" I contemplated for a few seconds. "I think these kids can't manage to pull a decent prank."

Kakashi placed the eraser back on the board where it belonged. "Yes..." his visible eye wandered off into space, as if he didn't know how to put what he wanted to say into words.. "How can I put it? My first impression of this group..." Then, he stated bluntly, "You're a bunch of idiots."

All three of those students' faces contorted at the sound of those words. I was pretty sure that Kakashi just took a major blow to their self-esteem, without even making an effort. He was playing the lazy, condescending jerk. (Well... condescending wasn't too far off from how he used to act when we were kids and he thought he was all that and a bag of chips.) I wasn't sure what the purpose behind it was just yet, but whatever it was, it was part of Kakashi's master plan to figure out if these students were ready to become Genin. And I always did love a good mystery.

We all sat outside the academy, with the students on the steps, and Kakashi and I on the railing across from them. The blonde haired boy looked ridiculous, the pink haired girl looked polite and charming and yet, extremely stupid, and the dark haired boy just looked irritated.

Kakashi sighed. "All right, how about we introduce ourselves?" Not that he seemed extraordinarily interested in anything they might have to say.

"Introduce ourselves?" the pink haired girl asked. "What exactly are we supposed to say?"

_Stupid. Like I said._

"Who is she supposed to be, anyway?!" the blonde haired boy exclaimed, pointing at me. "I thought we were only supposed to have one Sensei!"

"Naruto, be quiet!" the pink haired girl hissed.

Kakashi ignored their ranting and folded his arms across his chest. "Things you like. Things you hate. Dreams for the future. Hobbies. Stuff like that."

"Why don't you guys talk first?" the blonde said. "Tell us about you... you know? So we know how it's supposed to work."

"Great!" I said. "I call, Kakashi goes first."

Kakashi turned his head toward me and scratched the back of his head. "All right... I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate... I don't really feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future. I've never really thought about it. As for my hobbies... well, I have lots of hobbies."

I fought of the urge to snicker as the pink haired girl murmured, "Well, that was useless. All he told us was his name."

Kakashi then cleared his throat and thrust his chin in my direction. "Okay. You next."

I pointed to myself. "Me... well... I'm Kanata Fujibayashi. You can think of me as, like, your Sensei's assistant, I guess. My likes are..." I started counting them on my fingers. "Hot chocolate, cozy sweaters, fuzzy socks... anything warm, really. I hate snow... and cold weather... anything cold. Except icecream. Because you can't just not like icecream. Umm... dreams for the future. Well, life throws so much crap at me anyway that I don't bother. Hobbies. I used to read a lot. Now I mostly train all the time. Although, for a while I was into water sports."

For about ten seconds, all three of the students stared at me. Kakashi didn't say anything, either. Everyone was completely silent. I wasn't even lucky enough to get a snarky comment like Kakashi did. Were my responses that weird?

"I have a question-" the blonde began.

"Too bad," I said quickly. "Let's move on. Kakashi, it's their turn now."

"Uh, right," Kakashi said. "You over there on the right. You go first."

The blonde burst into monologue without hesitation. "Believe it! I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I like instant ramen, and I also like the ramen Iruka-Sensei buys for me at Ichiraku's. But I hate the three minutes you have to wait after you pour the water in the cup. My hobby is eating different kinds of ramen and then comparing them."

Seriously? Did this kid think about anything but ramen?

"And my future dream is to become the greatest Hokage! Then the village will have to stop disrespecting me and treat me like I'm somebody!"

I felt my eyes widen slightly when Naruto said that. Hokage, huh? This kid had ambitions. But did he have the abilities and the potential to show for them? By his facial features I recognized him. He was Minato-Sensei's son. The look in his eyes was very familiar. And that meant he was also the vessel for the Nine-Tailed Fox. He must have led a difficult life. No parents... everyone treating him like a monster, even though he never did a thing to deserve it. Hardly even knowing the kid, I already felt somewhat driven to support him in this endeavor of his. Even if he was an imbecile.

"All right," Kakashi said. "Next."

"I'm Sakura Haruno," the pink haired girl said sweetly. "What I like, uh..." she glanced over at the boy with dark hair. "Or, the person I like..." she giggled. "Uh... my hobby is... hehe... and my dream for the future is..." Fangirl squeal.

I rolled my eyes.

"And what you do hate?" Kakashi asked.

"Naruto," Sakura said simply, leaving Naruto looking shocked and totally heartbroken.

I frowned. This girl was ridiculous. Teenagers. Was I ever like that as a kid? I thought for a moment in an effort to remember if I acted like Sakura was acting now. I couldn't recall anything in particular. But, then again, I couldn't quite remember ever being especially interested in romance as a teenager, either.

Kakashi sighed. "Last one."

"I'm... Sasuke Uchiha."

Wait. Sasuke Uchiha? The last surviver of the Uchiha clan? Not including Itachi, of course.

"I hate a lot of things. And I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream, because I have every intention of making it a reality. I will restore my clan and destroy a certain man."

_Well, that was cheerful._

After some more silence, Kakashi seemed satisfied. "Good. You're all unique and you have your own ideas. We'll start our first mission tomorrow."

"Ooh, what kind of mission?" Naruto asked.

"It's a mission that the four of us and Kanata will do together. A survival exercise."

Sakura and Naruto both whined in protest. "But we've already done stuff like this at the academy!"

"This... is not quite like your other training," Kakashi said quietly.

"So, what is it?" Naruto asked.

Out of nowhere, Kakashi began laughing. It wasn't even, "that was funny" kind of laughter. It was, "I know something you don't and I'm enjoying it" kind of laughter. It was a little disturbing, to be honest. "Kakashi, you're scaring the children," I whispered.

The three students looked rather displeased. "I'm sorry," Kakashi said with one last chuckle. "Its just, I know you aren't going to like this. See, out of the twenty-seven graduates who were chosen today, only nine will be accepted as Genin. The other eighteen will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. This is a make it or break it, pass-fail test, and there's at least a sixty-six percent chance that you'll fail."

Their jaws dropped.

Were they not told this ahead of time? The Shinobi of this generation were cruel, indeed. Or just really bad at communication.

"See?" Kakashi said. "I told you you wouldn't like it."

"That's crazy!" Naruto exploded. "We worked so hard to get here! What was the point of the graduation test, anyway?"

"Oh, that?" I could tell Kakashi was smiling under his mask. "That was just to select potential candidates who _might _become Genin. Or not."

These students looked like they were about to riot. They were not taking this new-found information well. I could hardly blame them. But, at the same time, it seemed obvious to me that this would happen. After all, they couldn't exactly be sent out onto the battlefield with only the training they'd received at the academy. That was madness. Students were far better off, the longer they waited to go out and fight in the real world. Already, I knew that these kids had no idea what they were really getting themselves into. A skilled Jounin like Kakashi would be able to give them a taste right away.

"That's the way it is," Kakashi said intensely. "I make the rules, and I decide whether you pass or fail. Be at the designated training area tomorrow at five am. And make sure to bring your ninja gear."

Kakashi stood. "That's it. You're dismissed. And, tomorrow, skip breakfast. Or else, you'll puke."

* * *

><p>"They'll puke?" I asked in disbelief, after the students had left. "What are you planning to do to those kids?"<p>

"You'll see why in the morning," Kakashi told me. "I'm going to teach them a very important lesson."

Making me wait again. I was finding myself more and more excited, especially now that I had met the students and knew a little bit about them. I was anxious to see how they would perform Kakashi's test and how their brains would work under stress. Obviously, I expected the least because they were only children who'd never even seen a real fight. But... something about them had me intrigued. There was a part of me hoping that they would be able to pass.

"What do you think of them?" I inquired out of my own curiosity.

He pondered the thought momentarily. "I think... they have potential. But potential isn't always enough, you know? They're kids. Right now, I can't say as I would call them even remotely prepared to be Shinobi. Just by the way they move and talk, they have a lot to learn."

I nodded. "And... Naruto... he's Minato-Sensei's kid, isn't he?"

"Yeah."

"He's grown a lot since I last saw him."

"He's had a difficult life. He clearly sets high goals... I doubt he's had much support from anyone all these years. I'm impressed that he's made it so far and still has such a positive attitude."

I laughed. "Yeah. Unlike the miserable kid next to him. If Sasuke Uchiha is anything like his brother, he'll have a lot of talent. But he worries me..." I ran a hand through my hair. "He seems to have his mind set on one thing..."

"Vengence," Kakashi murmured. "Not the most healthy obsession, I suppose. One can only hope for the best."

"And then there's Sakura..." I said.

"Oh, don't even get me started," Kakashi said in a huff of air.

"I get the feeling she's going to irritate me," I admitted.

"I read her file; she aced all of her tests. She's quite talented in a lot of areas, to my understanding. But talent isn't everything. And if she's only interested in her undying affections for Sasuke Uchiha then she shouldn't be here."

"I agree," I said. Then, I added, in jest, "She's even more infatuated with Sasuke than Rin was with you."

Kakashi paused for a few seconds before answering. He averted his gaze, so I wouldn't notice the pain in his eyes. "Yeah."

But I did. Suddenly, I realized my mistake. "Uh... I'm sorry. I upset you, didn't I? I wasn't thinking, I should've-"

"No," Kakashi interrupted gently. "It's okay. I just... wasn't expecting it."

"I'm sorry..." I said.

Now I was genuinely disappointed in myself. I should have known better than to use Rin's name so lightly. Even after all these years, what Kakashi went through with her was impossible to get over. Her death was a life-scarring experience for both of us. But for him... I could only imagine.

Kakashi shook his head. "Really, don't worry about it. I know what you meant. It's not a big deal. It just caught me off-guard. I'm okay, now. Anyway, I don't want to be the reason you go home today upset."

"Well, I don't want to be the reason you go home today upset, either."

At that, I was granted a smile. And it was the truest smile I'd gotten out of him so far since we'd been together. So I decided to show him some honesty. "You know... I am happy to be back here. And... I'm glad that, since I had to be stuck with somebody, that I ended up being stuck with you."

His barriers completely lowered in that moment. And I finally saw a side of him that I recognized. "I'm glad," he said softly. And then, "Welcome home, Kana."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! This is chapter four of my new story, in which Kakashi is extremely late to training, so Kana gets a chance to connect a little with the new students! This chapter wasn't originally planned. I was actually just going to jump into the survival exercise, but somehow this happened. And... I'm kinda glad it did, because I think it was necessary for Kana to get to know these kids a little.**

**Anyway, I've been updating a lot lately. It probably won't be like this all the time, since I'm usually pretty busy, but I'll try to update when I can. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Once again, I have zero rights to Naruto.**

Total Boredom/Kana's Chakra Training Exercise.

I got up early again, just as Kakashi told me to. And I have no idea why I bothered listening to him. He was not outside to meet me at a quarter to five like he said he would be. In fact, he was not outside to meet me at five, five-thirty, or even six o'clock, for that matter. Needless to say, I was beginning to lose my patience.

I was willing to bet those kids were already at the training area, starving and half asleep because Kakashi and I were so late. Finally, a little after six, I made the decision walk down by myself. I wasn't sure if I was technically allowed to do that or not, but it didn't matter because I did it, anyway.

When I came along the open field, designated for training exercise, I saw the three students. Sakura, rocking on her heels impatiently, Naruto, dozing in the grass, and Sasuke, standing around all brooding and whatnot with his arms crossed.

"Morning, guys," I said casually.

Naruto jumped up from his horizontal position. "You're late!" he exclaimed.

"Not as late as Kakashi's going to be," I replied. "Sorry, I wasted a lot of time waiting for him. Here I am, now. Unfortunately, since he's the boss, we can't exactly start until he gets here."

They groaned. "Aw, come on, Sensei..." Sakura complained.

"Sorry," I said. "I'm just as annoyed as you guys, believe me."

"When is he going to be here?" Sasuke asked in a seemingly emotionless tone.

I shrugged. "Who knows? Kakashi does what he wants."

_That hasn't changed._

"Hey..." Naruto said. "I got a question for ya."

"Sure," I answered.

"Are you, like, Kakashi-Sensei's girlfriend or somethin'?"

"Naruto, you idiot!" Sakura growled, hitting him on the head with her fist. She smiled at me. "I'm sorry. He doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut."

"What...?" Naruto demanded, rubbing his head. "I just asked a question. Doesn't it seem a little weird to you guys that she's just hanging around and not doing anything?"

_Well, excuse me._

"Loser," Sasuke mumbled.

"I'm not Kakashi's girlfriend," I said, only slightly amused. "I've been away for a long time and Kakashi's getting me re-adjusted to everything. So, I'm not just _hanging around and doing nothing._ I'm a ninja trying to adapt to a new way of life."

"What does that have to do with Kakashi-Sensei, though?" Naruto asked.

This kid certainly asked a lot of questions.

I let out a quick sigh. "Kakashi and I used to be good friends, way back when you guys were too little to walk. I guess you could say we're in the middle of rekindling our friendship right now." I couldn't be sure that's exactly what it was, since things were a little awkward between us for the moment. But I would have given just about anything to have the relationship with Kakashi that I had ten years ago. I wondered if we would ever be able to find that place again.

"Really, so you guys have a past?" Sakura asked, apparently interested.

I rubbed the back of my neck, in an attempt to hide my nervousness. "Yeah, I guess."

"Why'd you leave?" Naruto asked.

I clasped my hands together. "I think I've had enough talk about myself for today."

"But-"

"Nope," I interrupted Naruto snappily. "I'm done for now. Let's just say it's been complicated. I'm leaving it at that."

Naruto scratched his head, as if not quite understanding. But he let it go like I asked him to. And everyone fell into dead silence for what felt like much too long. I glanced at my watch every five seconds as I tried very hard to ignore Naruto's grumbling.

I pulled my water bottle out of my bag and took a sip. It was cool and refreshing. Just about the right temperature for someone like me. Because I felt so bad that these kids wouldn't be eating breakfast, I actually decided to skip breakfast, myself. A part of me thought it was only fair... even though I wasn't even participating in this test. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Of course, now I was starving, so that didn't make me feel much better about myself.

"Ugh, when is that Kakashi-Sensei gonna show up?" Naruto griped.

"He'll show up when he shows up," Sasuke said. "Now quit whining."

"What do you guys know about chakra?" I asked abruptly, deciding to try and stave off these kids' boredom.

"It's the physical and spiritual energy that all Shinobi need in order to use jutsu, of course," Sakura stated as if it was nothing. "Why do you ask?"

"Well..." I said. "It's one of the most important things for a ninja to understand, isn't it? Maybe it's time for a little lesson."

"What is?" Naruto cut in. "What's this whole rakcha thing about?"

"_Chakra,"_ I corrected. "It isn't normally visible to the human eyes. It's life energy. And it's impossible to perform jutsu without it. Actually, it's impossible to live without it. Shinobi or not, everyone has it. But as Shinobi, it's our job to be able to harness and control it, so that we can use it in battle."

"What's your point?" Sasuke asked, clearly annoyed. "The only one here who doesn't know what you're talking about is Naruto, and that's because he didn't pay attention in class."

I smiled. "Do you guys know what chakra can really make a person capable of, provided the person can use it properly?"

"Of course we do!" Sakura said confidently.

"Do you?" I countered with raised eyebrows. "I think reading about it in a textbook is a little different than experiencing it firsthand. Of course, I'm sure all of you have used your chakra before for jutsu... but were any of you truly aware of what you were doing? How you were getting to the point of releasing that jutsu? Let me show you something." I stood up and pulled a kunai out of my bag.

"What are you gonna do with that?" Naruto asked.

"Just watch," I commanded.

"But... isn't this cheating or something?" Sakura tilted her head with worry.

"Giving you a lesson before the test starts?" I shook my head at her. "Why would that be cheating? It would only be cheating if I was handing out answers during the test. This is just a practice session. I'm trying to do something nice for you guys, here. Now be quiet and let me concentrate."

I narrowed my eyes and searched for the easiest target. We were surrounded by trees, so it wasn't too difficult to zero in on one of them. I watched the tree intently, lining up my Kunai with its trunk. My muscles loosened. I could feel my chakra flowing through me, gathering strength and focusing on its target. My whole body hummed as my chakra moved with me, and I didn't need to stop to think. I pulled my arm back and released the kunai, right ahead. It flew in a straight path for less than a second, and connected with the bark of the tree, hardly even making a noise.

"Wow!" Sakura cried. "That was amazing, Kanata!"

Meanwhile, Sasuke just grunted and looked away, and Naruto watched me with a dumbstruck expression on his face.

"Now, you guys try it," I said. "I want to see where you are with this."

Each of them pulled a kunai out of their pockets. "This'll be easy, believe it!" Naruto declared, already moving in on his target. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto all threw a kunai at their own tree, in approximately the same moment. I decided to check their work, one at a time.

I inspected Sasuke's kunai first. His inspection probably took me longer than the others, because, originally, it was tough to determine whether I was impressed or not. He certainly hit his target. Even I had to admit that he was farther along in this area than I was at his age. But... I wasn't quite satisfied.

"It's sloppy," I stated honestly, tapping the kunai.

Sasuke shot me a glare, as if he was insulted that I could criticize him. But I blew it off. "It is. I mean, your aim was perfect. You hit your target, sure. But there was way too much friction in that throw. Your chakra was unstable. Look at the way it hit the tree." I traced the spot where the kunai connected to where it ended up. "See how it hit at an angle? And the kunai connected with so much force that it actually pulled the kunai down and made a larger gash in the bark? Precision and accuracy are key when it comes to hitting a target." I removed the kunai and tossed it at Sasuke. "Imagine you were on a mission and had to capture an enemy. Perhaps you wanted to immobilize him. You target his leg. Now, you may very well hit, but with what you just showed me there, I can tell you what'll happen. You'll aim for that leg. But you'll do more than immobilize him. Likely, you'll accidentally hit some vital artery and he'll bleed out."

After I was done, Sasuke didn't say anything. "Don't worry, Sasuke!" Sakura said, in an effort to cheer him up. "I think you did a great job! I'm sure you'll get it perfectly, next time."

"Yeah," I said caustically. "Or, here's an idea. Next time, when someone gives you advice, don't take it so frickin' personally."

I tried not to chuckle when I saw Sasuke's face turn red. So that I could remain composed, I moved quickly toward Sakura's tree. It took me less time to figure out how I felt about this one than Sasuke's. It seemed that Sakura had just about the opposite issue that Sasuke did. "This is all right..." I murmured. "I could tell before that you have a pretty decent understanding and handle on chakra control. But... I get the feeling you were a little timid. Is that true?"

She looked at the ground. "A little, maybe."

I nodded. "Unlike Sasuke, who overshot and used too much force, you undershot and didn't quite use enough. You hit the target, all right. But I hardly even need any strength to pull this out." I removed her kunai and handed it to her. "With a stationary target, this is acceptable. But consider a moving target. That throw would have never gone far and fast enough to hit a moving enemy or object. But... not too bad."

"Yay, Sakura!" Naruto cheered. "Great job!"

"Now for you," I said, glaring at Naruto. "You didn't even hit your target." I walked over and picked up the kunai that ended up in the bushes instead of on the tree.

Naruto lowered his head. "It's an off day for me. I can do better than that."

I sighed. "Naruto, you don't know how your chakra works at all, do you?"

"Of course not," Sakura cut in. "Like Sasuke said, he never paid attention in class."

"How are you supposed to be become the Hokage if you don't pay attention?" I asked.

"I _am_ gonna be Hokage!" Naruto protested. "I am! One day, I'm gonna be the greatest ninja who ever lived! Believe it!"

"Well..." I said. "Before you can be the greatest ninja who ever lived, you have to learn how your chakra works."

"Yeah, yeah, it's my life energy and I need it to do jutsu and stuff. I get it."

I supposed I wasn't surprised that chakra control didn't come naturally to Naruto. It didn't all have to do with the fact that he slacked off in class. Although he didn't know it, he had two types of chakra within him. One was his, and one belonged to the nine-tailed fox. I was certain that played a part in his struggle.

"Guys..." I directed my attention to all of them. "This stuff... it isn't easy to master. It took me years to be able to have accuracy and precision like that." My finger pointed to my own kunai, still sticking out of a tree.

"How'd you do it?" Sakura asked.

I looked across the field. "Hmmm... it's... hard to explain. It works a little bit differently for everyone. Aim is something that just gets better with practice. But... the hard part is focusing the appropriate amount of chakra into your move. You have to be able to feel your chakra and manipulate it properly. You have to make sure you know your limits... how much chakra you can use. And how much is needed for a jutsu. Like when I threw that kunai, I only needed a small amount of chakra for that. But another person may need more or less, depending. I really can't teach you how to do it. But if you plan to officially become Genin today, you'll have to understand the importance of chakra control. The sooner you start learning it, the better."

"I'm gonna start right now!" Naruto declared, pulling out more kunai.

"Wait!" I said as he ran over to start training. "You should be saving your energy for Kakashi!"

"Don't bother," Sakura said dismissively. "He's not going to listen."

"Loser," Sasuke murmured once again.

I placed my palm to my forehead in frustration as Naruto continually threw kunai at trees, determined to hit his target.

As Naruto mumbled, grumbled, and cursed himself, Sakura smiled at me. "Well, thanks a lot for the lesson."

"Just trying to keep everybody occupied," I told her, unable to resist smiling back.

Sasuke grunted again and shoved his hands into his pockets, and as I watched Naruto continue to struggle hitting trees, I found that I was actually enjoying myself for once.

_I think I'm starting to like these guys._


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi, everybody! I'm here with chapter five of Kanata, in which Kakashi gives the bell test and we get to see how that goes down for Kana and Naruto and Sasuke and Sakura. This one's a little longer than my other chapters... but I couldn't really decide on a good place to stop.**

**Anyway, enjoy! Again, I don't own Naruto.**

Survival Test/Kakashi's Ultimate Decision

"Good morning, everyone. Ready for our first day?"

The sun was already high in the sky when Kakashi appeared, acting like there was nothing wrong with his complete lack of ability to be punctual. The students and I glared at him furiously. "_You're late!_"

Kakashi laughed. "Well, sorry, but... a black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way."

When the only responses he received were a bunch of growls and eye rolls, he cleared his throat. "Anyway, shall we get started?" Removing his backpack from his shoulders, he moved toward a small tree stump and pulled out an alarm clock and set it on top. "Here we go. I'm setting this for noon." Then, revealing from his pocket a set of tiny round bells, he added, "It's simple. Your assignment is to take these bells from me."

Ah, the bell test. So, Kakashi was bringing back some of his master's old teachings, after all. The bell test was what Minato-Sensei used to test our skills when we first became part of his squad. He made it tough on us, to say the least. Now I could just picture in my mind all the things Kakashi might have in store for these kids, today. Sure, he was making it sound like it was nothing, but...

"But if you can't get them by noon, you don't get lunch. I'll tie you to those posts and you'll have to watch while I eat my own lunch in front of you."

Wow. Cruel. Now I knew why he told them not to eat breakfast.

"Hey, wait!" Sakura demanded. "There are three of us. Why are there only two bells?"

Kakashi smiled pleasantly. "Well, that's so at least one of you will end up tied to the post and sent back to the academy. But... all three of you could fail as well. You can use any weapons, skuriken included. If you aren't prepared to kill me, you won't get a bell. Oh, and Kana... sorry. You'll have to sit this one out."

"Aw, really?" I groaned.

I suppose I was rather expecting to have to sit back and watch, since I wasn't really a part of this and couldn't pick sides. But, still, it was a little disappointing. I sighed and plopped down in the grass. "Hey, guys, try to make this interesting for me, okay?"

"Believe it!" Naruto shouted. "I'll make this a fight to remember! This'll be so easy. Especially since you couldn't even dodge that eraser, how tough could you be?" He laughed hysterically.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Class clowns are usually the weakest of the bunch. No point in really paying attention to them. Worst scores. Losers."

_Isn't that a little over the top, Kakashi?_

All of the sudden, Naruto's expression darkened. He clenched his fists, outraged. He pulled out a kunai. "Naruto," I warned, reaching for him, but he lunged forward at Kakashi like a crazed animal. With little effort, Kakashi changed his position, and was behind Naruto in an instant, restraining him and holding the kunai to the back of his head.

"Relax," Kakashi said softly. "I didn't say, 'start' yet."

When Naruto struggled and snarled in frustration, Kakashi let go. "But, you did come at me with the intent to kill... so, what can I say? I think I'm starting to like you guys."

"I know, right?" I grinned. "That's just what I was thinking!"

Kakashi smiled back for a moment. "Okay, then. Get ready... start!"

The students bounded away immediately. Kakashi and I were silent, attempting to figure out where they'd hidden themselves. Considering that they were only Genin, I was fairly impressed. They had hidden quite well.

Except Naruto.

"All right, you and me, right now, fair and square. Believe it!"

Face palm.

Literally. I just did a face palm. _Idiot._

Kakashi thought so, too. He shot me a glance. In return, I gave him a shrug and a smile that probably looked more like a grimace. He scratched the back of his head and watched Naruto. "You know... you're kinda weird."

"Ha!" Naruto retorted. "Yeah, right. The only thing weird here is your haircut!"

As I burst into laughter at Naruto's comment, Naruto charged Kakashi. Only, he stopped in his tracks when Kakashi reached for something in his pocket. "Shinobi techniques, part one," he began. "Taijutsu."

I only had to wonder what he could be reaching for for a few seconds... and directly after, I wondered why I even bothered. Without saying a word, he opened up his book, turned to his page, and began reading. While Naruto stared at him in bewilderment, I called, "Kakashi, put your stupid book away!"

He looked up briefly. "Eh, don't worry about it. With Naruto's weak attacks, it doesn't matter if I'm reading or... whatever."

Not exactly my point, but I wasn't seeing him changing his mind. Then, to Naruto, he said passively, "What are you waiting for? Go ahead. Make your move."

Naruto gritted his teeth and went at Kakashi once again. "_I'm so gonna crush you!_" He balled his fingers into a fist and drove it toward Kakashi's face. With the slightest movement of his hand, Kakashi blocked the attack. And when Naruto came again with a head kick, Kakashi crouched down to avoid it. Kakashi either intercepted or evaded each and every attack, and all the while, never took his eyes off the page of his book. It was easy to tell by watching the two of them that Kakashi was in a completely different league than Naruto. Kakashi was possibly one of the quickest, most agile Shinobi I'd ever known. Even when we were kids, he had incredible speed for a Shinobi of his age. He was actually fast enough that my own eyes struggled to follow his movements. I only did, because I was familiar with the way his body acted in motion. His pattern of movement had changed very little, and so I could still recognize and anticipate some of his actions.

Naruto managed to launch one more attack at Kakashi, but was unsuccessful in landing a hit, of course. In a blur, Kakashi darted out of range, directly behind Naruto. Naruto paused, glancing around himself in confusion. From behind, and as he shaped his fingers into a hand sign, Kakashi said, "You shouldn't let your enemy get behind you."

It looked to me like the sign of the Tiger. Was he really planning to use something like that on Naruto?

"Kakashi, what are you doing?" I asked in concern.

"Naruto!" Sakura called from the trees. "Get out of there! He'll destroy you!"

"Too late, now," Kakashi said. "Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu! A thousand years of death!"

With that, Kakashi raised his fingers and poked Naruto in the butt. And Naruto went flying.

I didn't even ask. I had no interest in knowing where he learned that, or why he would even _want _to do that. I just kept my mouth shut and and turned to the lake, where Naruto was now submerged. For several minutes, he remained underwater, leaving me to worry that he was drowning. Meanwhile, Kakashi didn't seem to care about much of anything but _Make-out Paradise._

Suddenly, two little shuriken shot out from the water at Kakashi, as proof enough the Naruto was alive. But, again, the shuriken only required Kakashi to raise two fingers to stop them. Naruto subsequently emerged from the water and collapsed on his hands and knees in the grass.

Kakashi said, "At this rate, you'll never get a bell by noon. For someone who says he's gonna be Hokage, you don't have much to show for it, do you?"

"Oh, come on!" Naruto complained. "I didn't eat breakfast! How am I supposed to fight when I'm starving like this?"

"Too bad," Kakashi mumbled as he turned and started walking away.

For a long moment, Naruto sat, as if in deep thought. The water behind him sturred furiously. The surface shook and bubbled, and from it soon appeared a slew of Narutos. Six, if I counted correctly. Which meant that there were now seven all together. Were they shadow clones? That was a forbidden skill. Certainly, no average Genin could pull something like that off. But naruto did. Numerous times.

_Amazing._

But Kakashi wasn't so impressed. As Naruto and his clones ran toward Kakashi, Kakashi said, "Nice technique. But I doubt you can maintain it for very long. You may be able to talk like you're the best, Naruto, but that doesn't change the fact that you're still the worst student. You can't possibly beat me with this."

But he was cut off when another clone appeared behind him and fastened itself onto his back. Kakashi glanced back in shock, and perhaps a glint of panic.

The clone snickered. "Didn't you say not to let your enemy get behind you?"

When the other clones arrived, they grabbed onto Kakashi to hold him in place, while the real Naruto moved in for a punch in the face. He leaped forward and pulled his fist back in excitement. His fist connected with enough force to break bones... but it wasn't Kakashi.

It was lightning speed. One second, it was Kakashi, and the next, Naruto had punched Naruto in the face. And it was really. Funny. I almost died laughing as Naruto frantically tried to figure out which of his clones was his target. Of course, none of them were. But all the Narutos just continued wailing on one another, failing to notice Kakashi's presence up high in the tree above them. While Naruto was distracted, I waved at Kakashi with a big smile. He held up his hand in acknowledgment, still chuckling at Naruto's stupidity.

When Naruto undid the jutsu, he found himself alone and clearly disappointed... a little beat up... and possibly even a little embarrassed. When Kakashi didn't move, I wondered what he was waiting for, what his purpose for just sitting there could have been, until Naruto glanced down. All of the sudden, his face lit up. "A bell!"

_Uh-oh..._

He instantly started running toward the shiny object on the ground. "I got him with my attack, after all! He dropped a bell!"

I cleared my throat. "Hey, I wouldn't do that-"

Naruto stopped in front of the bell and reached down, when a rope wrapped around his ankle and pulled him off his feet. He shouted in anger and frustration, now hanging upside down by the rope tied to a tree. At this point, Kakashi stood and hopped down from his branch and strolled over to a very disheartened Naruto. "No need to give him any hints, Kanata," Kakashi said. "He can learn it on his own. The hard way."

As Naruto struggled, Kakashi bent over and retrieved his bell with a sigh. "You should think before you use a jutsu... or else your opponent can use it against you." And then, in his most condescending tone, "And... if the bait is obvious, don't take it. A ninja must see through deception."

"Okay, I get it, I get it!" Naruto snarled.

"No, you don't get it, or else I wouldn't have to tell you. You may think you get it, but that isn't the same as actually getting it. Get it?"

There was a stir in the trees far to the right. On of the others? Were they making their move? Come to think of it, where were they all this time? Ignoring their teammate when he needed them. Well, I supposed that no matter how much they were starting to grow on me, I couldn't expect these brats to be able to work effectively as a team. In which case, their failure was inevitable.

Several kunai came flying out of the trees. Based on the angle and the force put into the throw, I guessed it was Sasuke. And... clearly, he was all set and ready to go on the, "Be prepared to kill me" thing. Not that the kunai actually ever reached Kakashi. He was very replacement and substitution jutsu happy today. He just substituted a piece of wood for himself and maneuvered out of harm's way, long before the kunai ever even came near him.

And with that, Kakashi was gone. And I was alone with Naruto.

"That was a pretty stupid move..." I told him.

"Yeah, yeah..." he murmured sulkily. "Whatever."

"He isn't doing it to be mean, you know. He wants you to do well. He's just trying to teach you a lesson." What was I saying? How could I know what Kakashi was thinking? What right had I to speak for him?

But... I knew it was all true. So I didn't take it back.

"Well, what then?" Naruto crossed his arms. "'A ninja must see through deception'? How the heck am I supposed to do that?" He grabbed a kunai out of his pocket and swung forward to cut the rope.

"Naruto-" I began, but when his feet hit the ground, another rope caught him and he was strung up, once again.

He growled in rage and flailed around helplessly. "Naruto, stop and relax!" I got on my feet. "Just use your head for a minute! You're never going to be a real Shinobi if you can't handle things like this with a cool head. You need to think. You can't just rush into things-"

"Hey, what's that?" Naruto peered down in the direction of the village's memorial stone. "Lunch boxes!"

"Naruto, are you even listening?"

He looked at me blankly for a moment, and then smiled deviously. "Hmmm... right, a ninja must see through deception." He hung quietly upside down for another moment, as if contemplating. Then, with a dark giggle and the kind of expression that said, "I have an awesome idea!" on his face, he pulled out another kunai and cut the rope for a second time. When he landed on his feet, he started running toward the memorial stone.

"What... What are you doing?" I demanded, taking off after him. "Naruto!"

I slowed to a stop, only to see Naruto sitting down on top of the stone with a lunch in his lap.

I sighed in exasperation. "You really weren't listening at all, were you?"

"Of course I was!" Naruto grinned. "We don't get lunch if we don't get a bell, but I eat mine now, then it doesn't matter!"

I glanced above him. "I'd check that logic again."

Naruto looked up slowly, and Kakashi perched behind him on the stone, resting his chin on his fist. "Hi, there."

Naruto gasped in surprise and stumbled for something to say. "Uh... I... I was... just kidding... Sensei."

"Nice try," Kakashi said in an agreeable tone.

Needless to say, Naruto ended up tied to a post.

When the timer rang, Sasuke and Sakura came out of the trees. I had to guess that they had both been roughed up a little by Kakashi. Sakura was clearly nervous... and Sasuke just looked irritated. Neither of them had stolen a bell in time. They had to be disappointed. But, what could I say? I was disappointed, too. If only a little.

But, surprisingly, I didn't feel particularly guilty as I heard their stomachs growling. Especially Naruto, since he tried to cheat. With me standing right there in front of him. This performance had been pathetic. Entertaining, yes, but still pathetic. Naruto was an idiot with zero common sense, as persistent as he was... and all Sasuke and Sakura did the whole time was hide while Naruto took the fall on the outside. They were only in it for themselves. From what I could see here, they had no interest in working together. They weren't ready. I'd seen it in their eyes from the beginning, but I had still hoped.

"Well..." Kakashi said. "That's too bad. I suppose none of you get lunch... but, anyway. More importantly, concerning this exercise, I've decided I'm not going to send any of you back to the academy."

As Sakura and Naruto rejoiced, and even Sasuke smiled in satisfaction, I frowned. Was Kakashi passing them? No, this couldn't be right. This had been a total disaster. Kakashi had never even passed any of his other students, and I couldn't imagine anyone being worse than these guys. They were not ready to become Shinobi.

Naruto's smile was wider than I'd ever seen it. "Then... all three of us-"

"You bet," Kakashi nodded. "All three of you are going to be dropped from the program, permanently."

The students' happy faces practically turned green. "_WHAT!?"_

"Kakashi..." I said softly. "What are you doing? Isn't that a little harsh?"

"Yeah, you told us if we didn't pass we'd get sent back to the academy!" Naruto shouted. "You can't do this!"

"Is it too harsh?" Kakashi asked, not even turning to look at me. "You saw how Naruto acted today. You should've been there to watch them, too... I think I can honestly say that this is the worst group I've ever had. None of them will ever be Shinobi." He fixated his gaze onto Naruto. "You didn't act like ninja... you acted like brats."

Sasuke lost it. For a kid, he was pretty fast... but not fast enough. His attack on Kakashi was futile, because, in one motion Kakashi caught Sasuke by the arm and pushed him down. I actually had to step back so that I didn't get caught up in it. Within that split second, Sasuke was down on his stomach, with kakashi's foot pushing Sasuke's head into the dirt. "Let him go!" Sakura yelled. "You can't step on Sasuke like he's some bug!"

Kakashi's face got very serious. "None of you have the slightest idea what it means to be a ninja. You think it's a game. Why did we even put you on squads? Did you ever consider that thought?"

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"I mean that you never truly understood the point of this exercise. What determines whether you pass or fail."

Ah. So, I was right, after all.

"Well..." Sakura said shyly. "I was going to ask you..."

Kakashi scoffed. "How about you use your head? Three people to a squad. Why would we do that?"

"How are we supposed to know why!?" Naruto snapped.

"Because it's so simple," Kakashi said in an exhale of air. "Teamwork."

Blank stares.

Teamwork. That was what Kakashi wanted all along, and I'd had a feeling in my gut for a while now. I almost felt guilty for not realizing it sooner. Just as Kakashi said, it_ was_ so simple. But I didn't know for sure until he came out and said it. And a part of me felt like I should have known from the start. Teamwork was everything in the Shinobi world, although there was a time when even Kakashi and I didn't understand it.

"Teamwork?" Sakura asked. "You just wanted us to work together?"

"Yep. Obviously, it's too late now, but if all three of you had come up with a plan and attacked me at once, you may have been able to take the bells."

"But... then... why only two bells? There are three of us, so one of us wouldn't have gotten one anyway. If we worked together, that would have just led to group conflict."

"I know," Kakashi said with a nod. "I pitted you against one another on purpose to see if you could overcome it and put the squad first. A real ninja should have a natural feel for teamwork, but it never crossed your minds. Sakura... you constantly obsessed over Sasuke who was gone, and yet Naruto was right in front you and you wouldn't lift a finger for him. Naruto... you do absolutely everything on your own. And you." He looked down at Sasuke and pressed slightly harder on the back of Sasuke's head with his foot. "You thought that Sakura and Naruto were so far beneath you that they were worthless. Arrogance. Ninja missions are always carried out in squads... teamwork is the most essential component. This is something that all Shinobi understand. If an individual places him or her self ahead of the squad, it can easily lead to failure and death."

"For example." Swiftly, Kakashi pulled a kunai out of his pocket. "Sakura!" he snapped, his voice dripping deadly poison as he put the kunai to Sasuke's throat. "Kill Naruto now, or Sasuke dies!"

Naruto and Sakura just about suffered heart attacks and died. Even I was a little caught off-guard. Had it been a different situation, I would have thought Kakashi would actually cut Sasuke's throat.

Kakashi put the kunai away. "That's the kind of thing that happens on a mission." Naruto and Sakura sighed in relief. "The enemy takes a hostage and you have an impossible choice to make. More often than not, someone ends up dead." He stood up and released Sasuke, and then started walking toward the memorial stone. "Have you guys looked at this... and the names engraved on it? They are all ninja, honored as heroes in the Leaf Village."

"That's it!" Naruto cut in. "That's what I want! I'm gonna have my name engraved on that stone."

I turned my attention to Naruto and smiled dryly. "Do you really? I would hope not."

"Why? I wanna be a hero like the ones on that stone!"

"Naruto..." I said, rubbing my arm. "All those heroes... are dead."

As realization hit him, his smile disappeared. "Oh..." he murmured, looking away.

"This is a memorial stone," Kakashi said solemnly. "The names of some of my-" He glanced at me. "Some of our... closest friends are engraved here."

After a long moment of silence, Kakashi looked back at them. "Okay... I'll give you one more chance. But this time, I'm making it much harder on you. I'll give you three hours to get a bell. Eat lunch first to build up some strength. But Naruto doesn't get any. As punishment for breaking the rules. And anyone who tries to feed him will immediately fail. Got it?"

Naruto clenched his fists. He had such a stricken look on his face. But Kakashi didn't budge. "I make the rules and you follow them. Kana, let's go." He gestured to me with his hand, and I followed him silently back into the woods. As soon as we were in a position where we could see them but they couldn't see us, Kakashi came to a halt and leaned his back against a rather fat tree.

He sighed. "I hope this isn't a waste of time..."

While I watched Sasuke and Sakura eat their lunches with Naruto sitting in the middle looking like a miserable human being, I said, "I dont know... I don't think they'll change that easily, Kakashi. If you aren't hardwired for teamwork, it takes a long time to get used to it."

"And that's my point," Kakashi said. "If they can't learn it this time, they won't, and they aren't going to be ninja. You think I'd let those kids out on the battlefield acting like that?"

I shook my head. "Of course not. Neither would I. It's just..."

"It's just what?"

"I... really want them to pass."

He smiled. "So do I. I want them to figure this out... I really do. But, how many times did I nearly get everyone killed on our squad when I couldn't manage to swallow my pride and work as a team?"

"You know I'm as guilty as you are for that," I admitted.

"Maybe..." he allowed, appearing to be in a another world for a moment.

"Kakashi, look," I said, pointing to Naruto... and then Sakura, who was about to place bite of food in his mouth with her chopsticks.

When Kakashi turned around and saw what I was seeing, he laughed and gave me an expression of triumph. "Follow me."

But before I had a chance to reply, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. So I dashed out from the trees and hurried over to the posts, where Kakashi reappeared. "_YOU!_" he exclaimed dramatically, giving the children their second heart attacks of the day. It this rate they would die of heart failure before adulthood.

"You kids broke the rules," he said menacingly. "I hope you're ready for punishment." With some hand signs, he made a dark, eerie cloud appear above us. With lightning and thunder and all that. He was laying it on thick, for sure. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

"B-but you told us-" Naruto started.

"Yes?" Kakashi interrupted.

"You told us that we were all the same team!" he blurted frantically. "That's why Sakura fed me!"

"We're in this together," Sasuke said, his teeth grinding.

"That's right!" Sakura reinforced with determination. "We fed Naruto because we're all on this team! We're one!"

"You're all on this team?" Kakashi taunted. "You're one? That's your excuse?"

I could tell that Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were all trying very hard to conceal their fear with their tough looks, but I could see them shaking. For a small eternity, Kakashi continued to glare at them. I was actually starting to think that he was just being mean at this point. Then he chuckled. "You pass."

They stared. Again. As if they couldn't possibly comprehend what he was saying.

"Hey!" I waved at them. "Are you guys deaf? He said you passed."

"But... why?" Sakura asked.

"You're the first squad to get it right," Kakashi said. "The others just did everything I told them to, and fell into every single trap. They just couldn't think for themselves... but a ninja must see through deception. In the world of ninja, those who break the rules are scum. That's true. But... those who would willingly abandon their friends..."

"Are lower than scum," I finished. After all these years, Kakashi still remembered that, word for word. So did I, but I hadn't thought about it in ages.

Sakura and Sasuke seemed to relax. And Naruto looked like he was about to cry. "You know..." he sniffled. "You're... kinda cool."

"This exercise is over," Kakashi said. "You all pass, and Squad 7 will be starting its first mission tomorrow!"

"Congratulations," I said. For the first time in nearly forever, I felt light in body and spirit. Seeing these young kids' happy faces made me feel young, too.

"I did it!" Naruto rejoiced. "I'm a ninja! Believe it! I'm finally a ninja!"

"Let's go home," Kakashi said. I fell into step beside him, humming to myself, which was something I rarely did anymore. Sakura and Sasuke followed... and of course, no one actually bothered to untie poor Naruto, so he was left screaming at us from the post.

"Come back and untie me!" he shouted, gasping for breath from all of his struggling.

I smiled lightly. _Don't worry, Naruto. I'll come back for you. Maybe in an hour or two._


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello! Here were are with chapter six of Kanata! This is actually our first glimpse into Kana's past. We're going to find out in this chapter how she came to be a part of Minato Namikaze's team. We're also going to explore her first impressions of some of these characters... especially Kakashi and Minato. **

**Um... so, to be clear, there may be some inaccuracies during the history telling, only because the Naruto timeline is so screwed up. I'm doing what I can, but mostly I'm doing what convenient for my own story line. So, if you do have a problem with it, I'm just asking you not to be negative about it. Okay? Thank you, and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Zero Naruto rights.**

In the Beginning/The Timid, Cold-blooded Genin and the Bitter, Self-absorbed Prodigy.

**About 15 years ago...**

"All right, everyone," Minato-sensei said with a friendly smile. "Shall we introduce ourselves?"

When no one spoke or raised their hands, Minato-sensei shifted uncomfortably. "Okay, then... I'll go first. I'm Minato Namikaze. Nice to meet you all."

The the arm of the dark-haired boy beside me shot up. He was a lively one, all right, but I liked the spark in his eyes. "Great to meet you, Sensei! I'm Obito Uchiha and my dream is to one day be Hokage!"

The boy with a mask who sat on the opposite end of where I was scoffed. In response, Obito Uchiha balled his fists, stood up, and glared at him. "You have something to say?" But the boy simply rolled his eyes and turned away.

"Now, now," Minato-sensei said gently. "There's no need for this. Obito, please, sit down." Although Obito mumbled a few curses and rude phrases to himself, he obeyed and sat down without complaint.

"You next," Minato-sensei gestured to the girl with brown hair on the other side of Obito. When she smiled, I noticed how well her complexion complimented her soft, delicate features. I wouldn't have looked at her out on the street and thought she was a ninja. But... looks do tend to be deceiving.

"Hi, there," she said sweetly. "I'm Rin Nohara. I'm training to be a medical ninja. I hope everyone can get along well together."

And then there was the guy with the mask. Handsome, from what I could tell... he had a lean body structure and silver hair that defied gravity by sticking up from his headband in a very strange fashion. And apparently, a really bad attitude. I would have to say that when he spoke for the first time, it was borderline disrespectful. "Kakashi Hatake," was the only thing that came out of his mouth. And he said it so sourly and in such a disinterested tone that I was instantly turned off. I already knew I wanted nothing to do with him.

When Minato-sensei finally gestured to me, I got nervous. I hadn't practiced anything to say. I was totally unprepared, which was, of course, all my own fault for not thinking off it ahead of time. "Uh..." I stumbled. "I'm, uh... Kanata Fujibayashi..." I shivered a little when my body temperature fluctuated, and I remained silent.

"It's okay, Kanata," Minato-sensei said. "You don't have to feel pressured. Everyone, this is Kanata Fujibayashi. You haven't met her before because she has been studying through the academy as an independent student. This year, she has become a Genin and is joining our squad, so I hope all of you will make her feel welcome. Including you, Kakashi."

Kakashi Hatake turned his head and regarded Minato-sensei with raised eyebrows. "What? I didn't say anything."

Minato-sensei sighed, and then asked me, "You okay?"

I nodded. Only Minato-sensei was currently aware of my situation. And I was aware that the only reason I was put on this squad in the first place was because the Hokage thought he could help me. So I had no choice but to place my trust in him. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Well, then," Minato-sensei said. "Good... you all show some promise. I'm looking forward to working with you. Tomorrow morning I'm going to be testing you in your skills and intellect. Five am. In the designated training area. Bring your ninja gear. And don't be late. Got it."

"Got it," Rin said with a nod.

"Sure thing!" Obito grinned.

"Great. You're dismissed. Have a good rest of your afternoon."

Rin and Obito both got up and started to leave. "You coming, Kakashi?" Rin asked brightly.

"Yeah, I'm coming," Kakashi responded, standing up and following after them. As he passed me, he met my eyes briefly, as if in an attempt to read what was going on in my head. But it only lasted for a split second, and otherwise, he didn't even bother to acknowledge my existence.

"Hey, what about Kanata?" Obito suddenly looked back at me.

Before I had a chance to reply, Minato-sensei said, "You guys go ahead. I need to talk to her for a minute."

They all left, and Minato-sensei and I were left alone.

"First of all," he said. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I hope that this will be a positive experience for the both of us."

"What do I have to do?" I asked quietly.

"Well... we'll need to set aside some individual training time, of course. I know you need me more than the others do right now, so I will try to give you as much of my attention as possible."

"Do you... think this will work?"

He thought for a moment. "I don't know. I've never trained anyone quite like you before. I'm not one hundred percent sure what to expect. But... listen. The only way I see this working is if I have two things from you. Your trust and your honesty. I know we've only just met, but I will need you to be completely honest with me, whatever questions I ask you. I need you to trust me in my capabilities... and most importantly, I need you to trust yourself. That's the only way we'll get anywhere."

I looked down at the floor. "I want... to master this Kekkei Genkai, Minato-sensei. But I don't want anyone to get hurt in the process."

"I know," he said. "I am going to try to help you. And I'm definitely not going to let you hurt anyone."

I laughed slightly, and Minato-sensei looked at me expectantly. "What?"

Shaking my head, I said, "It's just... nothing." _I don't think you quite understand, yet._

"I need you to trust me, Kanata."

"I know," I said with a nod.

"Do you?"

I hesitated. _This is the only way. You have to put your trust in him, or it's all for nothing._

I had wanted to join a squad in the first place so that I could learn to control my chakra. This was something I not only wanted, but something I needed as well. Trust wasn't necessarily something that came naturally to me, but I had to put it aside for now.

As I lifted my head, I nodded as confidently as possible. "I do."

And when I looked into my new Sensei's eyes, I knew that I could.

* * *

><p>The next morning, everyone assembled in the designated training area. Minato-sensei was first person to show up. Following his arrival, it was mine, Kakashi's, and then Rin's. And Obito, sadly, was late. Minato didn't want to start without him, so we waited almost an hour for him to make an appearance.<p>

"Late again, Obito," Kakashi said coldly when Obito raced toward us, out of breath from running.

"Sorry," Obito gasped. "See, I... had to help an old lady cross the street-"

"Every excuse is more pathetic than the last one. Do you need another beating?"

"Yeah, right! This time, I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"Guys-" Rin started.

But Minato-sensei cut her off. "That's enough, you two. Kakashi, stop picking on Obito. And Obito... I'm glad you finally decided to join us. Because you were late, I'm going to be extra hard on you, today."

"Yes, Sensei," Obito said flatly.

I watched Kakashi, his arms folded across his chest. That bitter look in his eyes. Why was he so mean to Obito? I knew that it was common to have rivalries among squads, but these two just seemed openly hostile. Obito didn't seem like a bad guy... clearly, he just had a problem with Kakashi. So far, it seemed like Kakashi was the one causing all the problems. I remembered his scoff at Obito yesterday, and then all of his rude comments today. The way he moved and spoke, I was starting to get the feeling that he thought he was superior to us in some way. If that was the case, it was just another reason for me to avoid him.

"All right," Minato-sensei said. "Your mission." Out of his pocket, he pulled a pair of tiny silver bells. "Take these bells from me within three hours, and you pass."

"That's all?" Obito asked.

"Do you think it'll be easy?" Minato countered, smiling. "I think you might find it to be harder than it looks. I don't care what method you use to take them. But you'll have to use your heads... and you'll have to work together. I guarantee none of you will get one working alone."

I heard Kakashi grunt from behind me... and for some reason I instantly became irritated. Was he even taking this seriously?

"Any questions?" Minato-sensei asked. "None? Good... then, let's begin. Get ready... start!"

We took off in search of a safe spot to come up with some semblance of a strategy. One of my greatest weaknesses was speed, so I was the last person to come to a stop. Deep within the woods, Obito, Rin, and I came to a halt. I examined the surroundings. As far as I could tell, Minato-sensei was nowhere nearby. But, although I had always had exceptional hearing and sensory abilities, I doubted them in comparison to Minato-sensei's skill and experience. Nevertheless, I told my companions, "I think... we're okay here for now."

"Okay," Rin said in a hushed tone, just in case. "So, what's the plan?"

"We could just charge in and pin him down and grab the bells," Obito suggest with a grin.

"Somehow, I don't think that's a good plan," Rin said.

"Minato-sensei is strong," I said slowly, taking my time so that I could stay relaxed. "He's perceptive... and he's fast. We won't... be able to approach him head-on and... expect to beat him. The element of surprise is our only option."

"But we can't expect him to lower his guard either," Rin said. Then, she looked around, seeming confused. "Hey... has... anyone seen Kakashi?"

"Ugh!" Obito exclaimed. "That jerk is trying to fight Minato-sensei without us!" With a groan of frustration, he took off again, in the direction from which we came.

"Wait, Obito!" Rin called, going after him.

I started to speak, in an attempt to grab Rin's attention, but I lost my nerve and just followed them back to Minato-sensei.

Sure enough, Minato-sensei and Kakashi were already sparring when we arrived. And after Minato-sensei told us specifically that we would need to work together. Kakashi was seriously a jerk.

"Kakashi, what do you think you're doing down there!?" Obito shouted. And with clenched teeth, he dropped down from his perch on the tree.

"Obito, hang on!" Rin hollered.

I watched Minato-sensei and Kakashi fight for a moment, truly amazed. Minato-sensei was supposed to be this astoundingly powerful ninja, and yet, next to Kakashi, his skills appeared to plummet a few levels. He was still amazing, of course, but so was Kakashi. For a boy of his age, never would have imagined that someone could be that fast and so skilled. And I realized then why Kakashi thought he was better than us. It was because, right now, he _was_ better than us. To be a match for Minato-sensei in a one-on-one fight like that... it was out of my league right now. But that still didn't give him the right to be such a jerk.

"Kakashi, you idiot!" Obito snarled, moving in on Kakashi from the side. For just a fraction of an instant, Kakashi's attention wavered... but that instant was enough for Minato-sensei to strike a blow at Kakashi's face. And Kakashi fell on his back in the grass.

He coughed and put his hand up to his nose. "Damn you, Obito," he groaned.

"Maybe you shouldn't have lowered your guard, Kakashi," Minato-sensei said.

Obito reached down, grabbed Kakashi's arm, and pulled him to his feet violently. "Let me go," Kakashi said darkly.

In response, Obito let go, but didn't get out of Kakashi's face. "What do you think you're doing? We're supposed to be working as a team."

Minato-sensei glanced up at me and Rin, and then back at Kakashi and Obito. "I'll... let you guys sort this out. Come find me when you're ready." Then he bounded away with lightning speed. _The Yellow Flash._

"I don't need you," Kakashi said.

"We're supposed to work together," Obito said again between his teeth.

Rin and I dropped down from the trees. "Obito's right," Rin said. "We need to work together. Please, Kakashi? We're one squad, after all."

Kakashi glanced at Rin... then me... and then Obito. After a short exhale through his nose, he murmured, "Fine."

"Great," Obito said. "Now we need a plan, right? Rin?"

Rin smiled. "Well... I was thinking we should use a diversion of some sort..."

"Um..." I started tentatively. "I think, maybe, we need one frontal attack and a series of side or behind attacks. If we all go at him at once from different angles, he can't avoid all of us."

"I'd be willing to bet he could," Kakashi said.

"But it's the best bet we've got!" Obito said abruptly. "Unless _you_ have a better idea."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "I'll take the frontal attack because I'm the fastest. Obito, you hit him with your fireball jutsu. Rin, you can set traps. And... Kanata..." He watched me, obviously waiting for me to tell him what I could do.

So I pursed my lips. "I might have a few tricks up my sleeve."

He shrugged. "Whatever. Just make sure you stay hidden. If he discovers you, it's over. You won't have the element of surprise. So be on guard. When I give the signal," He made a whistling noise that sounded like that of a bird, "Everyone go ahead with the plan and attack."

"Yeah, sure," Obito said.

"I'm serious, Obito. Don't screw this up."

"I won't, gosh!"

"Wonderful." Kakashi nodded. "Okay, let's go. Scatter!"

And we scattered. I jumped across tree branches, allowing the breeze to rush past, all the while keeping an eye out for Minato-sensei. My basic plan was to use a few water clones to attack him... Luckily, it had rained recently and there were puddles of water everywhere. I wasn't sure how this was going to go, but ultimately, it was likely that Kakashi would be the one to actually get his hand on the bells. I didn't care, as long as we got them and passed this thing.

I spotted Minato-sensei out in the clearing, and came to a stop on the soft dirt floor. I placed my foot in a puddle and created two water clones... for now, that would be enough. On the other side of the clearing, I wondered if Obito or Rin were waiting like I was. Minato-sensei appeared almost bored by now, standing lazily with his arms crossed over his chest. But I knew he hadn't let his guard down.

From a distance, I heard the chirp of a bird. That was the signal. Almost immediately, I saw Obito's fireball jutsu come out of the trees. I could feel the heat from here. Instinctively, I stepped back, and cringed. A tree branch had been under my foot. When I looked up, Minato-sensei was gone.

"No," I whispered.

"No, indeed," Minato-sensei said from behind me. I whirled around, and there he was, just a few feet away from me. "Looks like your plan failed."

I mentally cursed myself. I was way too clumsy for this job.

My clones and I all held kunai out in front of us. I knew I was no match for my Sensei. Not even tripled. But I couldn't exactly just stand there, either. I moved forward, and swung my kunai at him in a quick motion... of course, not nearly as quick as his defensive maneuver. He moved out of the way like it was nothing, and then got rid of my clones in the middle of about a five second interval. My adrenaline spiked; my body temperature fluctuated again. I began to fear what would happen if anyone touched me, and so I did the only thing I knew I could. I dropped the kunai and backed away, until I was trapped between Minato-sensei and the tree behind me.

"Okay..." I swallowed, and tried to even out my breathing. "I'm done... I'm too cold..."

Minato-sensei lowered his arms and stepped back. "Okay, okay. Are you all right?"

I nodded. "I'm fine... but I don't think it's a good idea to fight you anymore."

He sighed. "We really need to do something about this..."

At that moment, Kakashi Hatake dropped out of the sky. He came, holding an insanely powerful jutsu in his hand... the chidori, I think. Once again, I was impressed... because that jutsu was not something to take lightly. And with it, he came crashing down on top of Minato-sensei. Well, Minato-sensei managed to jump out of the way just in time, but staggered and struggled to stay on his feet just long enough for Kakashi to get back up and attack with physical blows. Minato-sensei continued to dodge them narrowly, but was now on the defensive, and couldn't seem to shake Kakashi. While I stood watching them like an idiot, Minato-sensei nearly stepped into a trap, set by Rin, that would have resulted in the tree beside him to come tumbling down on top of him. He avoided that, but was unable to avoid Kakashi's reach. While Minato-sensei was busy trying not to be crushed by a tree, Kakashi was able to move within range. He lunged forward, grasped the two bells hooked to Minato-sensei's belt, and pulled them free.

In doing so, he fell on his face... but he had the bells.

We all met up in the clearing, where Kakashi handed the bells back to Minato-sensei. "Congratulations. You all pass."

Huh. I honestly didn't feel like I was much help at all.

"Yes!" Obito cheered.

_Yeah, you weren't a whole lot of help in the long run, either, buddy._

Rin smiled and laughed. And she deserved to do so. Because she actually did something useful.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I supposed I was just glad it was over.

Before Minato-sensei left, he took me aside and let me know when we'd be having our first private training lesson. He wanted to start as soon as possible. Of course, I agreed.

The rest of us stayed behind after Minato-sensei left. Obito was very satisfied with the results of today's assignment. "Yeah, we passed! We are so awesome!" He held his hand up to give Rin a high-five.

Kakashi grunted. "Yeah? And what did you do? I was the one who got the bells."

"Only because you had to rush in with your stupid chidori and act like a hero!"

"Only because you're such a pathetic weakling."

"No, I'm not!" Obito exclaimed. "Someday I'm gonna beat you. Just wait until I get my full powers as an Uchiha!"

"Worst Uchiha I've seen," Kakashi said indifferently.

"Would you stop being rude to him, please?" I asked. I was finally on my last nerve with this guy. I wasn't coward enough to stand by while he was being a bully.

Seemingly surprised, Kakashi turned to me.

"Sorry to interrupt," I continued. "But... since yesterday all I've heard come out of your mouth are insults and I'm already tired of it. I want to know... what makes you think you have the right to treat him that way. What, you think you're superior to us?"

Kakashi glared at me. "No. I don't. Actually, I _know _I'm superior to you." He stepped toward me. "You know, yesterday, you could barely form a sentence. And now, today, you're talking to me like I'm the bad guy. You all wanted to work as a team. Well, I complied. But you know what? I could have gotten those bells by myself even faster if you had just stayed out of the way."

"Are we that worthless?" I asked.

"Well... let's see," Kakashi said, tapping his foot on the grass. "Obito certainly wasn't much help. And you... well, you were the one who ruined the plan, if my memory serves. So, yeah. I guess you are."

"And Rin?" I raised my eyebrows.

He paused, and then glanced at her. But he said nothing.

"So, I was right about you," I said. "You really are a jerk. Okay, fine, if you don't want to work with me, then... I won't work with you, either. But I will not stand for you treating other people like garbage just because they aren't as skilled as you."

With that, he stepped toward me, close enough that I had to raise my head a few inches to keep eye contact. Eye contact wasn't exactly something I excelled at, but I was doing my best not to look intimidated. He moved within a few inches of my personal bubble, and I had to fight not to back away. My heart was starting to race again. I struggled to remain in control.

"Is that a challenge?" Kakashi asked, looking down on me. "Because... if it is, I can put you on your knees this very second."

_Yeah, and I can probably make you scream in agony this very second, too, but, that wouldn't make it right._

I stayed silent.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, I thought so. Like Obito, you're all talk and nothing to show. A useless burden."

I breathed in and out shakily as I replied. "A useless burden, am I?" Repelling the urge to smack him across the face, I said, perhaps the meanest thing I've ever said to anyone. "You... can... just go to hell."

And then I turned around and shoved my freezing hands into my pockets, ignoring the voices of Rin and Obito calling me back as I walked away.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, there! All right, so this is Chapter 7 of my story, Kanata, in which Squad 7 embarks on its first mission to the Land of Waves. In this chapter we get to meet the Bridge Builder, Tazuna, and we finally get a taste of Kana's abilities:)**

**Anyway, happy reading! Zero rights to Naruto!**

Mission #001/Journey to the Land of Waves.

Over the course of the next week, Squad 7 took part in many different activities, most of which included babysitting, dog-walking, and other normal D-rank type missions. Although Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke appeared to be getting less and less enthused by the day, I was actually enjoying the quiet, easy missions. The ones that made me feel like an average human being. It was a nice change of pace from all the life or death situations I was used to.

After rescuing a woman's cat, we all reported back to the Hokage for our next mission. "Let's see..." he said, reading from a paper in front of him. "We have a few different tasks to choose from. You can babysit the chief counselor's three-year-old, help his wife with shopping, dig up potatoes-"

"Aw, come on!" Naruto moaned. "Why can't we go on a real mission? This is little kid stuff!"

While Kakashi sighed and shook his head, Iruka Umino, the Ninja Acadmey's instructor, stood up. "Shut up, Naruto! You're a Genin and just like everyone else, you have to settle for these simple missions to build up experience."

"Yeah, right!" Naruto barked. "Babysitting isn't even a mission-"

"Cut it out, Naruto," Kakashi interrupted, bonking Naruto on the head with his fist.

While Naruto rubbed his head miserably, the Hokage cleared his throat. "Well, you clearly don't understand the tasks you've been given, Naruto. Every day, many requests come in to us, for missions such as babysitting, to assassinations. These requests are then analyzed and then ranked A through D based on the level of danger. Ninja are almost ranked on ability, from Hokage, to Jounin, to Chunin, to Genin at the bottom. We assign the appropriate missions to ninja of the appropriate level. And should the mission be successful, we receive a fee that supports the village. Since you are Genin at the bottom level, you are given D-rank assignments."

Not that Naruto was listening to any of this.

"Naruto, pay attention!" the Hokage snapped.

"Ugh, why do you always treat me like a little kid?" Naruto demanded. "I'm a Shinobi now and I want a Shinobi mission!"

The Hokage stroked his chin, and then looked back and forth between all of us. Finally, he smiled. "So be it. Since Naruto is so determined, I'm going to give you a C-rank mission. You'll all be body guards on a journey."

"For real?" Naruto jumped up in excitement. "Who are we guarding?"

"I'll bring him in now."

When the old man stepped inside the room, I immediately wished that Naruto had kept his mouth shut. "These snot nose brats?" he said in a raspy tone. "And you, with the stupid look on your face. I don't believe you're actually a ninja."

Naruto laughed. "Ha, who's the one with the stupid look on his face.. hehe..." And then, lightbulb. "I'll demolish you! Let me at him!"

Kakashi grabbed the collar of his shirt. "No, Naruto, you can't demolish the client."

"I'm Tazuna," the old man said. "I'm a master bridge builder on my way home to my country, The Land of Waves. I'm building a bridge there that's going to change the world and I'm expecting you'll get me there safely, even if you have to give up your lives."

I glared at him. First impression... I hated him already. I could tell just by looking at him that he was selfish, rude, probably a drunk by the way he kept guzzling down whatever was in that bottle of his. All we had to do was protect him from thieves on the road? Simple enough. But it was going to be difficult to protect him if I was the one who wanted to kill him. And I doubted it would take much to make me want to kill him. This was the type of person who made my skin crawl.

"Hey," I whispered to Kakashi. "If he gets on my nerves, can _I _demolish him?"

He smirked. "Sure... if you want to pay for the money we'll lose after he's dead."

I chuckled, and the bridge builder gave me a harsh look.

* * *

><p>As we suited up to take our leave from the village, Naruto jumped around eagerly. "Yeah, this is my first time leaving the village! I'm a traveler, now. Believe it!"<p>

The bridge builder scoffed. "And I'm supposed to trust my life to this stupid kid?"

I was about to say something nasty to him, but Kakashi held an arm out in front of me as a warning. He smiled kindly. "Well... he's with us... Kanata and I are Jounin, so you shouldn't have to worry."

"Hey!" Naruto yelled, pointing at the bridge builder. "Never, ever insult a ninja! I'm the greatest ninja in the world! When I become Hokage, you'll look up to me!"

The bridge builder to a swig of his drink. "Hokage are wise and powerful... you're just puny and brainless. When you become Hokage, I'll grow wings and start flying. You could become Hokage a thousand times over and to me, you'll still be a brat."

As Naruto rushed to attack the bridge builder for a second time, Kakashi held him back again. "Naruto, stop. I told you, you're supposed to protect the client."

I let out a huff of air and moved ahead without waiting. We were going to be walking for a while.

As we walked, Sakura asked, "So... the Land of Waves. There are ninja there, too, right?"

"No," Kakashi replied. "In some countries exist hidden villages like ours, with their own customs and cultures. That's where ninja reside."

I pretty much ignored Kakashi's explanation about the Five Great Nations and the villages and whatnot. I'd heard it all before. So I wasn't particularly interested. After he finished, everyone was mostly silent, and for a while, the walk was pretty boring. The scenery was nice. The trees were green and lush... the river flowed strongly and the water was clear. Fish jumped in and out of the water as we passed over a small wooden bridge. It was almost as if the fish were greeting us. Out of impulse, I lifted my hand up to chin level and waved at them as they flipped their fins at me. I always did enjoy watching fish dance around in the water. I wished we had time to hang around and be lazy.

But... I supposed the sooner we got rid of this creep Tazuna, the better off we'd be.

On the solid soil, far away from the river, we passed a small puddle. I found this to be rather odd... and I imagined that a normal person wouldn't have given it a second thought. But I was a ninja, and I noticed these things. There was no sign that it had rained... so where had the puddle come from? My instincts told me that something was very amiss.

I shot a glance at Kakashi, who shot a glance back at me and gave a gentle head nod.

Something was happening behind us. But I didn't look behind me... not until Kakashi murmured, "Move," and I did. I spun around and ushered the children and the bridge builder behind me, as one of the two ninja assassins with scary claws wrapped his chain around Kakashi. I knew what he was doing, but his students didn't, and when they saw him get reduced into what looked like a puddle of blood, they freaked out. Sakura and Naruto both screamed.

One assassin targeted Naruto. He fell back in terror, trembling. It was a side of him I'd never seen of him before. Someone who spoke of being the best, and yet, he was cowering in fear. But, then again, he'd never really seen battle before. Live and learn, kid.

I glanced over at the other assassin, who was clearly after the bridge builder. Something was going on hear that none of us were aware of. I wanted to know why these guys were after the bridge builder. But right now, this one was trying to distract me and Naruto... and I couldn't leave Naruto like this. For the moment, Sasuke was holding off the other one. I still had time.

The assassin whipped his chain at Naruto, but I reacted quickly and stepped in front of him. "No," I said. "You can deal with me, first." I channeled my chakra with a single hand sign. "Subzero Jutsu..." I whispered, and exhaled. The chilled air exited my lungs and almost instantly froze the end of that chain. And it froze to the point that I reached out and grasped it in my hands, and managed to snap it in half. While he was still recovering from the shock, I raced forward and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Say goodnight," I told him before pushing my palm against his right shoulder. He gasped in pain, but within seconds, he slumped over and fell on the ground.

I turned, remembering the others, and saw that Sasuke had been sparring with the other assassin. But that assassin was crafty, and maneuvered around Sasuke and went straight for the bridge builder. And Sakura was the only thing that stood between them. She would be destroyed. I rushed forward as Sasuke also placed himself in between the bridge builder and the assassin.

_Move your legs, Kana! Kakashi, where are you?_

And there he was, as if right on queue, halting the assassin's movement with just one arm. Grabbing him, and squishing the guy's neck in the crook of his elbow.

_What a frickin' show off._

"Hi," Kakashi said casually.

"Kakashi, you're alive!" Sakura rejoiced.

"We could have used your help earlier," I said, exhaling more cold air as my heart rate began to slow. Who knows if I would have reached the bridge builder and the others in time?

"Sorry." Kakashi smiled. "But... you and Sasuke seemed to have a pretty decent handle on it. Naruto... I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to get hurt. I just didn't expect you to freeze up like that. Sasuke, Sakura. Very smooth. Great job."

Naruto... was hurt?

I turned around. I quickly examined the Naruto who was sitting on the ground, probably hating himself for not reacting as he hoped he would. And then I saw the wound on his hand. "Oh no..." I whispered. Even though I'd saved him from getting ripped to shreds by the assassin's chain... I hadn't saved Naruto from getting injured by one of their claws. Poison. "Don't move, Naruto," I said.

When he looked up at me, confused, I knelt down by him. "The claws of those ninja were poisonous. We'll need to cut open the wound and remove the poison."

"Just don't move around," Kakashi added. "It'll spread the poison. First of all, Tazuna. I think we need to talk."

Kakashi grabbed the other ninja that I defeated and tied both of them to a tree. "These are Chunin for the Village Hidden in the Mist. They specialize in relentless attack... they keep on fighting, no matter what the sacrifice."

The ninja I'd defeated was still unconscious from being half frozen from the inside out, but the other was very much awake. "How could you have seen our ambush coming?"

Were these guys trying to insult us?

"Well..." Kakashi said darkly. "Normally, you wouldn't see a puddle on a clear day when there hasn't been a drop of rain in weeks."

"Well, then why'd you leave them to do it?" Tazuna asked.

"I could've just taken then out quickly," Kakashi replied with a shrug. "But then we wouldn't have learned anything. I wasn't sure how it would work with Kanata involved... but I figured that she would have the same questions as I did... so I trusted her to make the right move on her own. To find out who their target was." He glared at Tazuna.

"What- what do you mean?"

"This could have easily just been ninja attacking ninja," Kakashi said. "But they were after you. When you put in your request... you neglected to mention that there were ninja after you. Had we known, it would have been a B-rank mission or higher. Our task was simply to get you safely to your destination and protect you while you were finishing your bridge... but fielding enemy attacks is beyond the scope of our mission."

"We're only Genin," Sakura said. "This is too advanced for us. Plus, we have Naruto's wound to worry about. We need to get him to a doctor."

"Hmmm..." Kakashi pondered. "You're right. Naruto's hand could become an issue. Perhaps we should just go home, after all."

Naruto's face contorted with rage and sadness. He shut his eyes, and before I even processed what he was doing, he had pulled a kunai out of his pocket and drove it into his wound. He grunted in pain. "Why am I like this? Why...? I've worked so hard to get this far... pushing myself as far as I could go... and training by myself for hours just to get stronger. Never, ever, am I going to back down again and let another person rescue me. I'll never run away. I won't lose to Sasuke. Upon this wound, I'm making this promise. Believe it. Bridge builder, I'll complete this mission, and protect you will this same kunai. A real ninja never gives up. So I won't give up, either. Don't worry about me. Let's go!"

"Naruto..." Kakashi said. "That's was cool, how you took the poison out and everything, but if you lose any more blood, you're going to die."

Naruto's eyes widened and he looked down at his bleeding hand. "No!" he shouted frantically. "It can't end like this! I'm too young!"

Kakashi stepped forward, but I moved more quickly and sat down in front of Naruto, trying not to laugh. "Naruto, sit down and give me your hand."

He obeyed, still panicking of course. And when I took his hand, he gasped. "Why the heck is your hand so cold!?"

"Just relax," I said, holding his hand in both of mine. When I looked at his wound, I paused in surprise, realizing that the wound was already starting to heal itself. Although it was still bleeding, it was already slowing down and shrinking. The power of the Nine-tails? I supposed in this case that I could only help speed up the process. So, attempting to ignore Naruto's fidgeting, I closed my eyes and muttered, "Deep cooling jutsu..." Then, I opened them again abruptly as the bleeding started to slow at a more rapid rate. But I felt a strange surge of power... the Nine-tails was fighting against my own chakra. It had tried to reject me. I could feel it pulsing, could feel his heat and my chill clashing, like a raging storm under Naruto's skin. When I glanced briefly up at Naruto, I could tell he noticed. All I could hope was that he couldn't tell the difference and wouldn't realize what was actually happening. Somehow... I felt as if it would have been better if I'd left it alone.

Still ignoring Naruto, who was now staring at me like he had something to say but couldn't get the words out yet, I turned my head. "Kakashi, I need something to wrap it up." Kakashi handed me a cloth from inside his bag, which I wrapped around Naruto's palm several times.

"There," I said, standing up. "That should help the wound clot nicely, and now, you should be fine as long as you're careful with it for the rest of the day."

"What- what did you do?" Naruto asked, staring at his hand.

"Kanata, that was amazing!" Sakura exclaimed.

"What can I say?" I shrugged. "I... have a few tricks up my sleeve." When I met Kakashi's gaze, I smiled.

He nodded. "Great job, Kana. All right, everyone. Let's go!"

"Kakashi," I whispered, moving in beside him as we put some distance between ourselves and the others. "Something happened when I tried to stop his bleeding..."

"What?" His eye widened a little. "What happened?"

"Well, I... I'm not sure. Let's just say, I don't think the Nine-tailed Fox appreciated my help very much."


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi, hi! I'm here with Chapter 8 of Kanata, in which Kana, Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, accompany Tazuna on his way home in the Land of Waves. There, they encounter a dangerous adversary, with whom Kana seems to share a past of some sort.**

**Hope you enjoy! No Naruto rights, here!**

Enter the Assassin of the Mist/Old Enemies Meet Again.

We continued onward with the bridge builder, though I have no idea why, and paid a man to row us in a boat across the water to the Land of Waves. I was about ready to pack up and go home after realizing that this creepy old man had been lying to us the whole time. Not only was I fed up with the guy, but progressing any farther could have meant putting the lives of the students in danger, and that was out of the question.

But Kakashi, in an effort to show some kindness, insisted that we should allow the bridge builder to explain himself.

Inside the small boat, under the protection of the thick fog and the near-silence, Kakashi whispered, "Tazuna... before we reach the peer, I need you to tell me why those men were after you. If you don't, I'm afraid this mission will have to end when we drop you on shore."

The bridge builder looked down at his lap. He let out a quiet sigh of defeat. "I suppose I don't have a choice... The man who is after my life is short... but he casts a long and deadly shadow."

_Deadly shadow?_

"You know him," the bridge builder continued. "At least I'm certain you've heard of him. He's one of the richest men in the world, the shipping magnet, Gato."

Kakashi looked at him in surprise. "Of Gato Transport?"

"Isn't he, like, a big business leader?" I asked. "But why would someone like him want to kill you?"

The bridge builder folded his arms. "Gato may be an extremely powerful tycoon from a famous business company... but with the same ruthless methods he's used to take over businesses and nations, he also sells drugs and contraband with the utilization of gangs and ninja. Last year, Gato set his sights on the Land of Waves and took control of our transport and shipping. People who stood against him vanished. Because he controls the sea, he controls everything. Government, finances, etc. But one thing he fears is the bridge. Once it has been completed, it will join us with the land and his control will be broken. And I'm the bridge builder."

_Oooh, sucks to be you._

"So, that's it," Sakura said. "Because you're building this bridge, you're standing in Gato's way."

"And those ninja we fought in the forest," Sasuke said, "Were working for Gato."

"On to my next question," Kakashi said. "If you knew that Gato was after you and was so dangerous, why did you lie to us about it?"

"That's what I'd like to know," I murmured, leaning back slightly.

"Because," the bridge builder said, almost appearing ashamed. "The Land of Waves is so small... we are all in horrendous poverty. Even the nobles. We simply can't afford to pay for an A- or B-rank mission."

Well, I supposed that made sense, however unethical. But I didn't think I was quite in the position to judge ethics anymore.

"If you leave when we reach the peer, rest assured that there will be no bridge. I will be assassinated before I make it home. But, don't feel too bad. Although, my grandson will certainly be upset. He'll cry, 'I want my granddad, I want my granddad!'. And I'm sure my daughter will forever condemn the ninja of the Hidden Leaf, blaming and denouncing you for letting her father die, and live her life in sorrow and despair. Oh, well... that's just too bad."

All of my teammates now wore very guilty expressions.

_You really know how to play dirty, Tazuna._

Kakashi scratched the back of his head and gave me a meaningful look, as if asking me for my approval. I sighed, but gave him my most assuring smile and nodded.

"All right..." Kakashi said. "I guess we have no choice."

"Oh, really?" The bridge builder said, almost cheerfully. "Thank you, I'm so very greatful!"

When he looked down and started chuckling to himself, I rolled my eyes. "We can still turn around, you know," I mumbled. I wasn't sure if he heard it or not, but at least it allowed me to let off some steam.

When we finally got dropped off on shore, the bridge builder led the way as we headed toward his home. Luckily for us, the weather was in our favor. But I found myself worried about what type of assassin they'd send for the bridge builder this time. Last time they were just Chunin... but if Gato sent a Jounin after us... well, one might say I doubted my ability to fight and protect three children and an old man at the same time.

As we made our way along the dirt path, I started to get used to Naruto and Sasuke's constant desperate struggle to best one another at everything. Even as Sasuke walked down the road, Naruto was determined to walk faster. It was annoying, but oddly adorable at the same time. Until Naruto went crazy and started throwing kunai into the bushes.

"Naruto, that's dangerous! Be careful!" Kakashi warned.

"Someone's following us, I swear!" Naruto insisted.

"Just be quiet and stop acting like a baby!" Sakura scolded, punching him in the head with her fist.

I followed Kakashi into the bushes to see what Naruto had targeted with his kunai, only to find a small white rabbit, paralyzed with fear against a tree. "Now, look you did!" Sakura said.

As soon as Naruto saw the rabbit, he rushed forward. "Oh, I'm sorry, little rabbit! I'm so sorry!" He picked it up and started hugging and rocking it in his arms apologetically.

I frowned. A white rabbit. A snow rabbit, more specifically. But... I was sure that they didn't have white fur this time of year. Last I heard, they only had white fur during the winter months. For confirmation, I cast a glance at Kakashi. His eye narrowed at me, and searched around in suspicion. It really could have been such an insignificant detail. There were a hundred possible explanations for this issue that didn't result in us getting ambushed. But... that wasn't the way I was taught. If the rabbit was white, that meant it had been raised indoors, out of the sunlight. Could it have been used as a replacement?

As that thought was processing in my mind, someone moved behind us.

"Get down!" Kakashi ordered.

I was down on my stomach in an instant, and when I looked up again, a huge blade was stuck inside of the tree in front of us, and a man balanced on its handle. A man I recognized.

I got on my feet. "Zabuza Momochi..." I said. "Long time no see."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kakashi watching me curiously... but now that I had eye contact with Zabuza, I couldn't break it.

"Who the heck are you!?" Naruto shouted, racing forward.

But Kakashi put a hand out in front of him. "No, Naruto. Don't get in the way. This man... is not like those other ninja. He's on a completely different level."

"He's a rogue ninja, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist, and he would crush you," I said, still not looking away.

Zabuza laughed. "You both are quite correct... Kanata Fujibayashi. So we meet again."

"You're after the bridge builder, I presume?" I asked. "I'll be honest, I never expected I'd see you working for someone like Gato."

"A man has to make a living," Zabuza replied.

"Do I even want to know how you two know each other?" Kakashi asked.

"That isn't any concern of yours," Zabuza said before I had a chance to answer. "Kakashi Hatake... However, it is quite an honor to meet you... the Copy Ninja from the Village Hidden in the Leaves. If I give you enough of a fight, will you show me the power of that Sharingan of yours?"

"I'll show it to you right now if you'd like," Kakashi said coldly. It was then that I turned away from Zabuza. And I watched as Kakashi lifted the side of his headband up onto his forhead, exposing his left eye. Exposing the long scar that went from his eyebrow to his cheek, his blood red iris, and the three tiny tomoe around his pupil.

"Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke!" Kakashi said firmly. "Manji formation. Protect the bridge builder, and stay out of this fight."

"But, what the heck is a sharingan!?" Naruto suddenly demanded. "What's with your eye?"

I scowled. In a situation like this, that was all Naruto wanted to know? Luckily, Sasuke stepped in so that I wouldn't have to explain. Being a member of the Uchiha clan, I imagined Sasuke would know more about the Sharingan than I, anyway.

"You know," Zabuza said, probably with a smirk, although I couldn't see his face since it was all wrapped up. "Within the Assassination Unit of the Hidden Mist, we have orders to destroy you on sight" His eyes narrowed on Kakashi. "You're in our Bingo Book... called the man who copied over a thousand techniques."

Wow. Who knew that Kakashi had gotten so famous? Apparently he'd been using his Sharingan to his full ability. I guess all these years of trying to keep a low profile kind of kept me in the dark about some of the stuff going on outside.

"All right..." Zabuza cracked his neck. "Enough talk. I have a job to do."

"Kids," I said through my teeth. "Manji formation, now!"

This time, they obeyed. They each stood protectively in front of the bridge builder, weapons in their hands. But Zabuza just laughed. "So, you're going to make me eliminate the brats first? Very well." And with a swift motion he and his sword vanished from sight.

I moved closer to Kakashi. My mouth was dry and my heart was pounding. Once, only a few years ago, I'd fought against Zabuza, and nearly died. The only reason I was still alive today was because I got lucky. Even with Kakashi at my side, I still had worries. Kakashi was fast... but so was Zabuza, and obviously, I couldn't match either of them in that aspect. Which meant I alone, had little to no advantage, because Zabuza knew my skills and abilities.

Then again, I knew his as well.

"Over there!" Sakura called.

We turned our heads, were Zabuza hovered above the water, gathering up a rather enormous amount of chakra. This move I knew, because he had once used it on me.

"Hidden mist jutsu!" he said, and the whole area was filled with a thick fog... Zabuza disappeared again.

It was difficult to see with all the fog in front of my face, so I gasped when a hand gently rested on my shoulder from behind me. "Just me," Kakashi said. "You take the back, and I'll take the front."

I nodded silently, and then moved behind the bridge builder, putting my back to him to I could see, theoretically, any approaching attacks. But Zabuza had the whole silent killing technique down as well... and I was concerned that, no matter my position, I wouldn't be able to detect him in time.

"Well..." I heard Kakashi say in a soft tone. "If we fail, we'll only lose our lives."

"How can you possibly say that?" Sakura asked in disbelief.

As the fog grew thicker, I realized just how little my sight was helping me, and that I needed to focus more on my other senses. So I listened instead, hoping that I would pick up any movement.

"Eight points..." Zabuza's voice hissed from somewhere nearby. "Larynx... spine... lungs... jugular... vein... collarbone... kidney... heart... which one shall be my target?"

_Creep._

A strong wind blew past as Kakashi used his chakra to blow away some of the mist. I turned around briefly, and saw the bridge builder and the children, all standing tall waiting for danger to strike like good little soldiers. All except Sasuke, who appeared to be struggling to stay composed. The air was thick with tension and a strong thirst for blood. A ninja who wasn't used to that was prone to be overwhelmed by that paralyzing fear. I could see Sasuke trembling, reaching for his kunai.

"Don't, Sasuke," I warned. "Get a hold of yourself."

"It's okay," Kakashi said. "Sasuke... it's okay. I promise... I'll protect you with my life. I will not allow my comrades to die. Trust me, okay?"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Zabuza said. All at once, he had penetrated Manji formation, and was in just the right position to kill the bridge builder. I moved, but Kakashi moved faster and practically body slammed Zabuza, shoving a kunai into his gut. But what came out of the wound was not blood; it was water.

A water clone.

As the clone disappeared, the real Zabuza came up behind Kakashi and swung his sword. I nearly panicked as it sliced Kakashi in half, but what came from that wound was only water as well. And even I hadn't realized it. Kakashi had seen Zabuza perform the zutsu... and copied it in an instant. It was more than I'd expected Kakashi to ever accomplish with the Sharingan. He was brilliant.

Then the real Kakashi was behind Zabuza, with a kunai to his throat. "You're done, Zabuza."

Zabuza chuckled. "Done, am I? You don't think I'd lose to a copy cat ninja like you, do you? I must admit, you have some impressive skills... you had already copied the water clone jutsu before you made your little speech to the boy. And I didn't even notice... it was a nice try but... I'm not that easy."

The Zabuza that Kakashi had captured was also a clone, and was reduced to water as the supposedly real Zabuza appeared. He went at Kakashi with his sword from behind. In just the nick of time, Kakashi ducked out of the way. But he was then rewarded with a stunning kick in the face and sent flying through the air and into the water. As the children screamed out his name, I raced forward in an effort to assist. When Kakashi emerged from the water, he had a strange expression on his face. And then he held up a hand in a sign for me to stop. "Wait, Kana! Something isn't right about this water!"

Once again, like he did every single time, Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi. But this time, he started performing hand signs. "Fool," he laughed. "Water prison jutsu!"

"No!" I shouted, but barely moving, for fear of becoming trapped as well and leaving the children defenseless.

"Hehe, it's hard to fight when you can't move, isn't it?" Zabuza said. "So much for the Great Kakashi Hatake... well, I'll finish you off momentarily. But first... let's get rid of these pests. I hope you're ready for our rematch, Kanata."

I cast a glare at Zabuza. It was nearly impossible to escape a water prison once a person was caught. I knew, because I'd used the water prison jutsu against adversaries in the past. And it had never failed me once.

There was no way this would end well.

_ Kakashi, just hold on, please._


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, hey, everybody! I'm back again with chapter 9 of Kanata, in which the group faces off with Zabuza as they try to rescue Kakashi from the water prison jutsu.**

**Anyway, this chapter is actually my shortest one so far! Just thought I'd mention that... I don't know. For me it's just interesting how long each of my chapters turns out after I'm done.**

**Diclaimer: No Naruto rights, here.**

Save Kakashi/Escape the Water Prison Jutsu!

"Water clone jutsu!" Zabuza said, holding up the two fingers that belonged to his free hand. The one that wasn't currently holding Kakashi captive in the water prison jutsu.

I stepped back in front of the students and the bridge builder protectively as a water clone rose out of the river. With Kakashi out of the equation, I was their last chance. If I couldn't find some way to defeat Zabuza, we were all done for.

"So..." the clone said darkly. "You all think just because you have a headband that that makes you a ninja? When you've hovered between life and death so many times that it doesn't faze you, when your skills have become so deadly that your name is entered into my bingo book, then and only then, may you be called a ninja."

"Don't even get me started, Zabuza," I hissed. "I'm not interested in being lectured by you."

"Well, perhaps I wasn't talking to you." Abruptly, he disappeared again. I turned around, in a panic, and Zabuza appeared behind me. And with a sinister laugh, he kicked Naruto in the face, knocking him to the ground and the headband right off of his forehead.

"Naruto!" Sakura gasped in protest.

As Zabuza began to step on Naruto's headband, I clenched my teeth and put myself in his path. "Your fight is with me. Quit messing with my kids."

"Everyone, please!" Kakashi yelled from his prison. "Take the bridge builder and run! Forget me and go. Kana... get them out of here!"

I rolled my eyes and ignored him. Trying to be the noble one, today, are we? But I wasn't letting him get the glory of sacrificing his life for us, today. Never had I been the type of person to give up easily when someone I cared about was in danger. This wasn't just Kakashi's life at stake; it was everyone's. Zabuza's clone wouldn't be able to follow us far from this spot. But all he had to do to fix that problem was to kill Kakashi. And then he'd hunt us down. And we'd all be dead. No. Running away wasn't an option.

_Sorry, Kakashi._

Then I glared up at Zabuza. I was so close to him the we were almost touching, so I had to crane my neck to meet his eyes. "Naruto... Sakura... Sasuke..." I addressed them firmly. "Do what you want. I'm saving my comrade, but there's no way you can beat this guy. So I'll understand if you decide to run. Whatever you decide to do, just don't get in my way."

"Not a chance," Sasuke murmured from behind me.

Zabuza shot backwards, away from me, and away from Sasuke and the young Genin darted past me and whipped shuriken at Zabuza. "Sasuke, stop!" I cried out, practically in a frenzy. There was no way I could protect these kids and fight Zabuza at the same time. Teamwork wouldn't help them. Not now. Zabuza was too powerful.

I channeled my chakra into my palm and created a blade made of ice out of it. Then I moved. Zabuza grabbed Sasuke and wrapped a hand around his throat, but I intercepted, nearly cutting Zabuza's arm with the blade. He dropped Sasuke and grabbed my arm, on top of my sleeve, of course. He knew what I could do if our skin touched... and he spun me around and slammed me hard against the dirt. I groaned in pain, but I managed to get back up on my feet. I glanced over at Naruto. He was still on the ground, terrified. Sasuke was still recovering from being almost choked to death. And Sakura stood faithfully protecting the bridge builder. I was almost tempted to tell her to screw the bridge builder and protect herself, but I decided against it and held my tongue.

As Zabuza moved toward Naruto, I let out an angry growl. "Did you not say that this was _our _rematch, Zabuza?"

He stopped in front of Naruto and turned his head. "And what better way to prepare you for battle than to give you a little motivation?"

I gritted my teeth as Naruto slowly started to rise to his feet. All of the sudden, his expression seemed to change. He was no longer afraid. Or, at least, he was putting on his brave face. He snarled, and leaned forward, charged Zabuza.

"No!" I heard Kakashi shout.

I shook my head and started moving forward again. _Stupid, what are you thinking?_

Naruto was instantly rebuffed and sent flying into the dirt. I winced, knowing how painful that must have been. But... again, he stood. And Sakura scolded him. "Naruto, what were you thinking? We're only Genin! There's no way we can beat a Jounin!" But when I looked at his hand, I realized. He hadn't been looking for a fight, after all. He'd only wanted his headband.

I sighed. _Idiot._

"Zabuza!" I called. "Come on, stop playing around! I want to get this over with."

He turned around. "You certainly are impatient, aren't you?"

"Just remember that I'm the only reason you're alive today. I think you owe me a fair fight."

His eyes narrowed. "Fine." He moved forward, faster than a normal person would have thought possible. But I exhaled, and my chakra flow seemed to slow down... And I saw everything. Every detail, every movement. All the little things that people miss when taking in their surroundings. And I saw Zabuza. Almost in slow motion. So I maneuvered accordingly, and as he came close to me, I jumped and backflipped over top of him. I raised my frozen blade as quickly as I could, as time caught up to me. Zabuza whirled around, and our blades collided. But because I knew that there was no way that I could fight against him, blade to blade like that, I pulled away and moved back.

Now, I was again between him and the students. That was what mattered.

Zabuza gave me a look, almost as if he was impressed. "I haven't seen that one before."

_Well... it doesn't happen very much, so..._

"Wow!" Naruto shouted.

"How did she do that?" Sakura asked with wonder and amazement. "She was almost faster than Zabuza!"

Yeah. For that brief moment, I was. But I almost guaranteed that it wouldn't happen again during this battle.

I swallowed.

"What are you doing?" Kakashi's voice pierced my eardrums. "I told you get the kids out of here! This mission is to protect the bridge builder! Stay on mission!"

_Stay on mission? You were the one who taught your students to look out for their comrades, weren't you?_

Shaking my head, I made a sign with my fingers. "I'm taking Zabuza down."

"Kanata!" Naruto called. "Keep him busy! We've got a plan."

I made the mistake of allowing myself to be distracted, and turned my head. "Wait, what-"

But I lost my concentration on the jutsu I had in mind as Zabuza nearly took my head off with his sword. I ducked down just in time, and quickly channeled my chakra into my fingertips. "Ice crystal deluge." Thousands of shards of ice came pelting down on top of Zabuza. Those ice crystals were so sharp that that enough of them would kill a person in a matter of seconds, but Zabuza continuously and nimbly blocked the crystals with his sword. And as I watched him do it, I found myself amazed at his agility. After all, he was so heavily built. It was mind-boggling that he could be so quick and light on his feet, as big and muscular as he was.

He still continued to come at me, despite the ice crystals that threatened to destroy him. I had to think that if he just got cut with one of them, he would be destroyed and I could pursue the real Zabuza. But I didn't get that lucky. He lunged at me with his sword, knowing full well that he wouldn't beat me with Ninjutsu. I was a master of Ninjutsu. But Taijutsu and Kenjutsu... well. That was a bit of a different story.

I could barely keep up with him; I had no room to take the offensive. He wasn't giving me an inch. And I couldn't get a grip on him to slow him down. I jumped backwards, trying to getting some steady footing, but instead, I stumbled, and hit the ground. Laughing like a maniac, Zabuza stepped toward me and pressed his foot into my stomach. I coughed desperately, unable to inhale properly. "I am going to enjoy watching you all die," he hissed.

"Shadow clone jutsu!" Naruto cried.

I turned my head back and forth on the hard soil. Surrounding us were perhaps dozens of Naruto shadow clones, ready to fight. Each of them had that dumb-looking determined grin on his face, and although I knew that none of them could defeat Zabuza, my heart was practically swelling with pride. Finally, he was taking a stand and owning up to all those promises.

The Narutos all pulled out kunai and sprang at Zabuza with full force. In order to destroy them, Zabuza lifted his foot from my stomach. I narrowly managed to roll of out of the way as he sent all of the clones flying into the air. "Sasuke!" one of the Narutos cried. And in his hand, Sasuke caught a large shuriken.

"A shuriken?" Zabuza scoffed. "As if you'd ever touch me with that."

But Sasuke raised his arm and threw the shuriken anyway... and threw it right past the water clone. Presented with the opportunity of the clone's surprise, I moved in. The clone was fast, but because he had dropped his guard for that fraction of a second, he wasn't quite fast enough. Then my fingers brushed against his shoulder blade... the impact of my freezing chakra entering him shocked his system. And it was just enough to get rid of him.

Meanwhile, the real Zabuza caught the shuriken that Sasuke had thrown. Obviously. Because no decent Jounin would be stricken easily by a material weapon out of the air. But, even to my own surprise, Naruto and Sasuke weren't finished yet. An instant later, another shuriken appeared from the shadow of the first... and this one, Zabuza couldn't catch. But alternatively, he jumped up, allowing the shuriken to pass underneath him.

And then the shuriken disappeared. In its place, was Naruto, with a kunai in hand. He threw it with everything he had, and plopped right into the water. Fear flashed in Zabuza's eyes. And to prevent the likely mutilation of his arm, he yanked his hand away of the water prison. All at once, that fear was replaced with rage at Naruto for ruining his plan. He held his grip on Naruto's shuriken as he snarled and moved forward.

By that time, I was already running out to attack Zabuza. So I had just barely enough time to step into Zabuza's path and block the shuriken with a frozen blade. I clutched the blade with both hands, shaking from the friction of his strength versus mine. No, I wasn't nearly strong enough for this. I didn't have the physical power to clash with Zabuza on this level. I had rushed in to save Naruto, who was still flailing around in the water, and I hadn't thought about my own safety in the slightest. I knew I would lose. But I couldn't back out now, or he would definitely annihilate me. He had the murderous glare in his eyes; he wanted to spill my blood... and everyone else's blood, for that matter. And that thirst made him at least ten times stronger.

He pushed me back, one step at a time. I trembled, could feel my blade's power weakening. I tried pushing more chakra into it, but it just wasn't enough. The blade cracked. I gasped. And then it shattered.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi, people! Here is chapter ten of Kanata, in which the final part of the battle against Zabuza ensues! Hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: Zero Naruto rights.**

The Sharingan Awakens/A Deadly Clash Between the Mist Demon and the Copy Ninja!

My frozen blade shattered into pieces, and I knew... I was dead. The shuriken came down on me; there was no time to brace myself.

So I squeezed my eyes shut.

But what happened next took place so quickly that I found myself, still standing and not dead, before I'd even realized what was going on. I was turned around, no longer facing Zabuza, but instead facing Naruto. Back to back with with a sopping wet Kakashi. His arm pulled behind him, wrapped around my waist. And when I craned my neck around, I saw Zabuza's Shuriken digging into the metal back of Kakashi's glove.

_Oh, God, he saved me..._

"Kana," Kakashi said, breathing heavily. "Are you all right?"

The pain in my arm suddenly became noticeable and I glanced down. I winced. There was blood everywhere. With my other hand, I applied pressure to try to stop the bleeding. I wouldn't be able to use deep cooling until my heart stopped racing so much.

"Yes..." I replied. "I'm okay."

"Good," he said. "... Naruto... that was an excellent plan. I'm really proud of you."

Naruto laughed. "I knew I couldn't beat him with shadow clones, so I just used those to distract him. When I turned into the demon wind shuriken, he didn't know what to do! Believe it!"

It had been an excellent plan. The entire time, I'd been so focused on protecting them that I didn't even give them a chance. I didn't consider that they would actually be able to pull off something so elaborate. I guess Kakashi and I were both idiots.

"Don't brag," Sasuke said with a smirk. "You just got lucky."

"The whole thing was a fluke!" Tazuna yelled.

_Whatever. You guys are idiots, too. Sasuke, you and Naruto worked perfectly together today. That's something to be proud of._

Zabuza murmured, "I... got distracted and lost my grip on the water prison."

"Don't flatter yourself," Kakashi snapped. "You were forced to let go. That technique worked on me once, but it won't happen again. So... what's your next move?"

Zabuza let out a snarl of frustration. I heard the shuriken snap together. Kakashi shook, clearly struggling now, as I had.

"Kana," Kakashi said through his teeth. "I'm... going to let you go... now... And I'm going to... take care of Zabuza myself..."

"Are you sure?" I asked. Could he do it alone after being weakened like this?

"Yes..." he grunted. "You and Naruto and Sasuke have done all the work up till now... I'll finish it..."

I sighed. And then I relented. "Okay."

"Okay!" Kakashi released his grip on my waist and as soon as I cleared the way, he jerked his hand and flung the shuriken out into the water. And then he and Zabuza sprang away from one another.

As I held my still bleeding arm, I ran over to Naruto, who was just treading water at the moment. Oh, how much easier this would have been if he could walk on water, already... "Come on," I said, reaching out to grab Naruto. But both of us gasped and recoiled almost instantly. When I had reached for him, the contact burned my skin.

_ Damn you, Nine Tails... _

"What _was _that?" Naruto asked in shock.

"I don't know," I said, shaking my head quickly. "Come on, just..." As long as there was no skin-to-skin contact, I theorized that we'd be okay. So I just looped my uninjured arm around his rib cage and pulled him up. Then he put an arm around my shoulders. And I realized that our destination was stuck on the other side of a battle between Kakashi and Zabuza. For the moment, we weren't going anywhere.

Zabuza glared at Kakashi, preparing to perform a jutsu. He clasped his hands together. And began. "Ushi, sara, oo, nae, ee, tori, ushi, uma, tori, nae, tora, inu, tora, mee, ushi, hitsuji, mee, ee, hitsuji, nae, jin, sara, tori, tatsu, tori, ushi, uma, hitsuji, tora, mee, nae, sara, oo, ee, tatsu, hitsuji, nae, ushi, sara, tori, jin, nae, ee, tori."

Water Dragon Jutsu. An extremely powerful ninjutsu that took a lot of time and patience to perfect. But in the end, it was worth it.

Kakashi immediately began to mimic the hand signs. And when both of them were finished, two great water dragons emerged simultaneously from the water and clashed with equal force. Gigantic waves pushed me down, knocked me into the water. I ended up having to climb back up and grab Naruto again because I couldn't stay on my feet. My arm was throbbing, and I had lost more blood than I would have preferred. I could tell that Naruto knew, because every once in a while he'd glance down at the wound, and then up at my face. He was worrying. But nothing could be done about it until Kakashi defeated Zabuza.

Again, Kakashi and Zabuza were head-to-head, with Kakashi blocking Zabuza's sword with only a kunai. They both struggled relentlessly for dominance. It wasn't anything like my struggle against Zabuza. Kakashi had exceptional physical strength. Despite his lean figure, he had the ability to hold his own against Zabuza's blade. Not to mention that he had clearly improved his sharingan in the last ten years.

Abruptly, they pulled away from one another again, and planted their feet firmly across from each other on the water. It was then that Kakashi began to mirror Zabuza's movements. When Zabuza moved left, Kakashi moved left, and when Zabuza moved right, Kakashi moved right. They both raised their arms and held up two fingers to channel chakra... and I could see that Zabuza was beginning to get nervous. Kakashi was performing every one of Zabuza's movements exactly the same way and at exactly the same time as his opponent. Even I wasn't quite sure how he was doing it.

"It's infuriating you, isn't it?" Kakashi taunted.

Zabuza snarled. "You're just copying me like a monkey."

And then, in sync, they said, "You can't beat me with cheap tricks like this. I'll crush you."

Enraged, Zabuza feverishly began doing hand signs... but then he paused, as if seeing something terrifying. And in that moment, Kakashi made his final move. "Giant vortex jutsu!"

_Oh dear..._

Just as the name implies, a giant vortex appeared, and there was no way to fight that. Along with Zabuza, Naruto and I were washed away by the massive current. Gasping and grasping at Naruto, I tried to keep our heads above water. Each time I touched his skin, I got burned, and I knew I was probably giving him frostbite, too. But I didn't want to lose him to the current. I focused on keeping ourselves above the surface and allowed the current to carry us, until I was able to catch the branch of a tree in my hand and pull us to safety. As the water receded and we were left lying on the wet ground, I asked Naruto, "You okay?"

He only nodded, unable to speak as he tried to catch his breath.

Meanwhile, Kakashi had Zabuza pinned. I didn't dare hope that this fight was finally over. I just watched and waited.

"But... how?" Zabuza asked. "Can you... see into the future?"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "Yes... this will be your last battle."

But before Kakashi was able to deliver the final blow, three kunai appeared out of the mist and struck Zabuza in the side of his neck. He fell to the ground, slumped over. Dead.

A childish voice chuckled. "You were correct. It was his last battle, after all."

A young boy, perhaps Naruto's age, stood on a tree branch and watched Zabuza. He had a creepy white mask with the Mist symbol on his face. A well-trained tracker ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist, was before us.

Kakashi jumped down from his tree and checked Zabuza's pulse. But based on his expression, I guessed that there was none. The tracker bowed. "I want to thank you. I have been after Zabuza for some time now, waiting for the chance to finally take him down. You members of the Leaf Village granted me my opportunity."

I kept my eyes locked on the tracker for a long moment. Something about him was very familiar. His voice... the way he moved. I knew this kid. And I couldn't have been imagining it, because there weren't many ninja his age who were skilled enough to be elite assassins. I was afraid to admit, even to myself, who I thought it might be. And if that was the case, he was certainly not a Mist Village tracker.

Suddenly, Naruto got up and ran toward the tracker. "Naruto, what are you doing?" I demanded. But Naruto stopped in front of him, glaring intently, growling in angrily. He looked back and forth between the tracker and Zabuza with confusion, agitation... perhaps some dismay.

Then, throwing his hand out accusingly, he shouted, "What's this about? Who do you think you are?"

"Easy, Naruto..." Kakashi said gently. "He isn't our enemy."

Naruto shook his head. "That's not the point! Did you see what he just did? Zabuza was huge and strong and powerful like some kinda monster. And this kid here just brought him down like it was nothing! What does that say about us? We're just messing around! We don't know anything! How can I accept that?"

Kakashi approached him. "Well... you may not accept it, but that doesn't change the fact that it did happen." He reached out and placed his palm on top of Naruto's blonde head. "There are ninja in this world who are younger than you, and stronger than me."

In the midst of their conversation, the tracker made his move to retrieve Zabuza. "Again... thank you. Your struggle is over, and now I shall handle the remains. Many secrets are hidden in this body. They must not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands... please excuse me." And he disappeared with Zabuza into the wind.

Naruto hurriedly ran to the spot where they'd been. "He's gone, Naruto," Kakashi said, pulling his headband back into place and hiding his sharingan. "Let it go."

But Naruto was furious. He dropped to his knees and began repeatedly hitting the ground with his fists. "What are we doing here!?"

"Shut up, Naruto!" I snapped, storming toward him. "What the hell are you complaining for, huh? You're mad that this kid's tougher than you? Well, get over it. That's the way it is."

"But-"

"No. Naruto, since the first day I met you, I've heard you talking about becoming strong and being looked up to by the people in the village. I thought that goal was really admirable. I honestly never expected _this. _ You're going to let this person define us? Define _you_? He isn't you, Naruto. You can't expect to be as strong as him because you're not him. Some people are born with talent, that's true. But you can't expect to really be strong unless you work for it. I thought you understood that. Are you going to throw a temper tantrum every time you meet someone who's stronger than you? Or are you going to step up to the plate and do something about it? You aren't going to get anywhere by whining and complaining like a little kid. You think today was bad? You've seen nothing. You think you've seen a strong ninja? No, no, you haven't. I guarantee it. There are ninja out there who would squash you without a moment's hesitation. If you want to be strong enough to stand against them, you have to fight for it. There's no shortcut. Sorry to burst your bubble."

I swallowed. Had all of that really just come out of my mouth? That wasn't me. I didn't say things like that. I may have thought them, but I never said them out loud. I hadn't stopped to think... and now Naruto was sitting in a defeated position, looking a little like a guilty five-year-old.

Kakashi came up beside me. "Naruto... Kanata is right. Natural strength is rare. You can't expect to be the best right away. The strength of others is something you have no power over. So... save your anger... for the next enemy."

I glanced at Kakashi, now a little bashfully, because of some of the very forward and unprofessional things I said. But he gave me a reassuring smile and then looked to the rest of the group.

"We haven't completed our mission yet. We still have to escort the bridge builder to his bridge."

The bridge builder laughed. "How about, since I caused so much trouble, you guys get a little rest at my house when we reach the village?"

"Great," Kakashi said. "All right, then. Let's go."

And so we set out once more, ever growing closer to our destination in Tazuna's village. But we hardly made it three steps before I noticed that something was wrong with Kakashi. In mid-step, he came to a startling halt. Since I was right behind him, as did I, and I watched as his feet gave out and he collapsed onto the damp ground.

"_Kakashi-sensei!_" the students cried.

"What happened?" Tazuna gasped.

As they all huddled around him, I knelt down and felt his pulse. It was low for a normal person... still, it was existent.

"Kanata, what's wrong with him?" Sakura asked frantically.

"Don't worry," I said. "He's okay. He's just lost too much chakra."

_You can do this. Remember how many times when you were kids that you were the one to nurse him back to health every time he overused his sharingan?_

His breathing was labored, and he was burning up. He'd really pushed himself to the limit this time. This was chakra loss on the level that could kill a person. Not that I was going to tell his students that.

"Okay," I said. "We need to get him to the village, now. Somebody, help me carry him."

Both Sasuke and Naruto came and offered their services, and of course I greatly appreciated it. After such a strenuous battle, I wasn't feeling so wonderful, myself.

"Tazuna, lead the way," I ordered. And then, about ready to pass out, I helped carry Kakashi back to Tazuna's home so that I could treat his escalating fever.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello, everyone! Sorry it's been so long. I actually planned to write two chapters over the holidays, but I got so busy! However, over the last couple days, I did manage to write chapter eleven of Kanata. This is another flashback chapter, but in this one, we get a little bit of a feel for her friendship with Obito and Rin. And how that friendship is affecting her as a person. **

**Hope you all enjoy... and I don't own Naruto.**

The Beginning of the End/A Fateful Mission

**A little less than 15 years ago...**

Months had passed since I was placed on Minato-sensei's team. The training exercises, to my amazement, were already doing wonders. Minato had been teaching me about chakra control and becoming aware of my own physical being. It wasn't perfect yet, but I felt more confident. In control. And that was something I could never have said before I joined this team.

Now I even knew what it was like to have friends. Rin and Obito and I got along right from the start. Especially after Kakashi and I butted heads our second day together. I think Obito felt sorry about how that all transpired, although I assured him that it wasn't his fault. But Obito was kind and good-natured... never before had I met someone quite like him. For his integrity and loyalty I admired him... and sometimes I wondered why Rin was so infatuated with a jerk like Kakashi when she could have had someone who truly cared about her and, well, truly cared about anything but himself.

That was the one drawback to being friends with these guys. The love triangle mess could get a bit dramatic.

Kakashi and I had hardly spoken since the incident between us. And sure, I didn't make much of an effort. But it wasn't like he was making it easy for me. For the most part, we ignored one another, and I think that it irritated Minato-sensei at times that we couldn't quite seem to work together effectively. After having a conversation with us both about it and realizing that nothing was working, he eventually decided that it was just best to keep us out of each others' ways on missions.

So, one morning, the Third Hokage sent us out on a mission, quite different from the ones we were accustomed to. War had broken out across the lands, war that would later be known as the Third Shinobi World War. For many travelers, venturing in and out of the village would be dangerous. One of our own was currently stranded in the Land of Greens, unable to return to us without the aid of ninja. Therefore, it was our job to journey there and bring her back to the Leaf Village safely.

However, we were sure to encounter some enemies along the way.

"All right!" Obito exclaimed. "Let's do this!" To my surprise, he turned to me and thrust his fist out.

I stared at his hand, unsure what to do. And Obito waited patiently with a grin on his face. "Uh..." I murmured. "Am I supposed to do something?"

Obito blinked. "Oh! You're supposed to put your knuckles up against mine like this." He lifted his other hand and put his fists together.

I cocked my head. "Why?"

I heard a chuckle from behind me. When I turned around, Kakashi stood there, with an indifferent expression on his face. But I knew he had been the one laughing. I glared at him disapprovingly.

In response, his shoulders simply rose and fell lazily as he regarded me with a rather smug look.

Deciding not to allow it to bother me, I returned my attention to Obito and proceeded to ask him why I would ever want to touch his knuckles with my knuckles.

"Because... it's fun!"

His hand was still outstretched, so I let out a sigh and bumped my fist against his. I hated touching people. That hadn't changed in the last few months.

"Come on, guys," Minato-sensei said. "Let's get moving."

And we were off.

I was not particularly fond of traveling, myself, but even I had to admit that we were a fortunate bunch this time. During our first few days of travel, the weather was favorable, sunny and bright, and we didn't run into any trouble along the way. Somehow, we managed to avoid the enemy the entire way to our destination. Not that expected we would be so lucky on the way back. I tended to be a natural pessimist.

When we arrived in the Land of Greens, our first stop was at an old inn, where our client, Misao Kunisaki, was staying. Misao Kunisaki was a middle-aged woman, with thick hair and bright green eyes. In comparison to me, she appeared tall, but she was actually just below five feet. She had some wrinkles on her face and a rather plump figure, but she was also quite pretty in her own right. That smile of hers when she met us for the first time just lit up the entire inn lobby.

"Oh, you've come for me, after all!" she cried. And without warning, she threw herself on Minato-sensei and hugged him fiercely. "Oh, thank you, thank you! I thought I would be doomed to spend the rest of my life separated from my home and my family! Oh, thank you!"

As Minato-sensei gently tried to push the woman away, I glanced at Rin awkwardly. In return, she grimaced a little.

"Okay, there," Minato-sensei said calmly. "It's all right, now. We're going to bring you home."

"Oh, you are so kind..." Misao sobbed. "My, you are such a handsome fellow."

And then she looked at us... the children. "Oh, look at you! Little ninja in training! So adorable!" Laughing whole-heartedly, she patted Kakashi on his bushy white head. I fought the urge to snicker as he glowered at her with a sour expression.

"Um..." Rin stepped forward and bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you, madam. I'm Rin Nohara. This here is Kanata Fujibayashi. That's Obito Uchiha. And the one you have your hand on is Kakashi Hatake."

"Oh, it's so wonderful that you're all here," Misao replied. "I wish I could do something to show my appreciation for everything you've done."

"We haven't done anything, yet," Minato-sensei said. "Thank us when we reach the Leaf Village. We'll all stay here tonight, and at dawn, we'll head out."

After dark, I sat outside my room in the hallway beside Obito. Neither of us had been able to fall asleep. So we spent at least an hour just talking.

"What'dya think of Misao?" Obito asked curiously.

I shrugged. "She... seems okay, I guess. Her personality is a little bit much for me, but I suppose it's fine as long as we can make her happy. I'm just... kinda worried."

"About what?"

"Well... there's just so much pressure here. What if we can't get her back safely?"

"Aw..." Obito made a dismissive gesture with his arm. "You worry too much! This'll be a piece of cake. I'm sure of it! We'll get that lady back to the village no matter what. You can't afford to have such negative thoughts in your head about stuff like this. If you aren't confident, Misao won't be either, and that isn't going to help anyone."

"I guess you're right," I allowed.

"Of course I am!" Obito laughed. "I'm the greatest ninja ever!"

I chuckled. "I think you have a long way to go before you can say that truthfully. You're going to have to work hard if you want to impress your girl."

Obito scoffed. "How am I supposed to do that? She doesn't care about the work I put in. She only notices Kakashi."

I looked at the floor. "Well... that's her loss, then. Look, Obito, I... I don't know much about stuff like this but... I think, one day, she'll come around. I know it might seem hopeless right now, but things change, and we're still just kids. We have all the time in the world. I really think she'll come around eventually."

"Really?" Obito raised his eyebrows.

"Of course," I said with a smile. "How can she not? You're an awesome guy. Anyone should be able to see that. Just... be yourself."

Obito grinned. "Thanks, Kana."

I looked at him in surprise. "Uh... Kana?"

No one had ever called me that before.

"Yeah!" Obito scratched his head. "You know... short for "Kanata"... Does that bother you?"

After a moment's pause I laughed again. "No... it just surprised me, is all. You can call me whatever you want."

"Great," Obito said, giving me a thumbs up. Then, he let out a very large yawn. "Okay... well, I'm startin' to get sleepy, I think. So, I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay," I nodded, standing up with him. "Have a good rest. Big day, tomorrow."

"Yeah... night, Kana."

"Night." And we retreated to our rooms.

* * *

><p>Early the next morning we pack our things, had a very small and quick meal, payed for our inn visit, and set out for the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Sadly, the trip back would undoubtedly last longer than the trip here, due to the fact that we now had Misao to worry about. She couldn't move as quickly as we could.<p>

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she cried, clinging to Minato-sensei's vest. "I'm slowing you down. Please, if you must, just leave me here and go. I will only hinder you."

_Talk about a drama queen._

Minato-sensei gently took her wrists and pried her fingers loose from his vest. "No... Misao, it's all right. It's our mission to protect you on our way back to the village. We aren't leaving you. As long as it takes, we're going to get you home.

"Oh, you are so kind!" Still practically weeping.

For the most part, I just blocked them out and focused on the task at hand. Moving forward and watching for danger. But on such high alert, I was beginning to feel a little cold, despite the warm weather. And no matter what I did, I couldn't seem to shake it. I tried to hide the occasional shivers, just in case someone noticed.

But Rin did notice. "Um... Kanata?"

"Yeah...?"

"I... well, I was wondering. Are you... okay?"

My heart did a tiny somersault. "Yes... why wouldn't I be?"

Rin frowned. "You just seem..." She trailed off. But when I started to wonder if she might just let it go, she said, "Sometimes I think maybe you're hiding something. I mean, whatever it is, it's your own business, but it seems like it causes you a lot of stress. I'm just worried."

I appreciated her concern. And it wasn't as if I was trying to keep this thing a secret from everyone for any particular reason. If anything, I was simply worried that she and Obito would think differently of me. I would never be able to handle it if they were afraid of me. I'd never had friends before. I didn't want to lose the only ones I had.

With a forced smile, I met her eyes. "I'm okay. Honestly. If it was something I couldn't deal with on my own, I would tell you."

She appeared hesitant at first, but she trusted my word. "All right, then. If you say so."

Of course, the issue didn't end with that conversation. As soon as we crossed into The Land of Fire, the universe decided to set out to destroy me. And it started with an attack on us by a couple of ninja from the Village Hidden in the Stones. And because we were Leaf Village ninja, we were the enemy during this war. Up until now we had been very careful not to run into trouble, but in the end it came to us. The truth was, the world outside of one's own village was so dangerous, these days that no one could really travel anywhere alone. And a Genin like me certainly didn't stand a chance against Jounin like this.

Minato-sensei noticed their presence before they appeared, and thwarted their ambush before I could even react. While Misao freaked out and began cowering behind Minato-sensei, the rest of us assembled to protect her.

"The Yellow Flash of the Leaf," one of the ninja said. "What a pleasure it is."

"Unfortunately, I can't say the same," Minato-sensei replied casually.

"You brought your little brats with you as well," the other said. "They should be fun to play with."

Minato-sensei murmured, "Rin, Obito, and Kanata. Protect Misao. Kakashi, help me take these guys out."

"Yes, Sensei," Kakashi agreed, pulling out his sword.

And so we were just left to take care of Misao... I mean, I knew there had to be people to stand by and protect her. But I also knew why Minato-sensei picked Kakashi to fight with him. Because Kakashi was the strongest, the most powerful. And knowing that truth bothered me.

Rin, Obito, and I created a manji formation around Misao, and I watched Minato-sensei and Kakashi go after the Stone Village ninja.

Minato was fast. More than fast enough to live up to his name. I almost felt sorry for his opponent. Ninja went after him with his blade, but Minato pretty much blurred out of the way in an instant and ended up on the other side of him. As the ninja made the attempt to turn around, Minato-sensei struck him across the face. The ninja returned to a standing position, enraged, and attempted a Lighting style jutsu of some kind. I had never seen it before... but Minato-sensei countered it with a jutsu of his own, one that I heard never seen, but had heard about. The rasengan. Just a little ball of chakra in Minato-sensei's hand, but so deadly all the same. The force was unimaginable as he shoved it into the Stone Village ninja's gut. But, as it figures, it happened to be a substitution.

However, while Minato-sensei was still facing off against one enemy, Kakashi wasn't having such an easy time against his own. Kakashi was very fast and strong, and may very well have been on Jounin level, but the ninja fought seemed to have the advantage. Somehow, Kakashi seemed to struggle to get on the offensive and remain there. He and his opponent fought with their blades, seemingly rather equal in ability. They ascended, high up into the trees, where I had to lift my head to watch. About seventy feet in the air, they continued to battle against one another. A few times, it seemed that Kakashi nearly lost his balance.

Fear rose in my chest. If one of them fell..._ I don't care how strong a ninja you are, Kakashi. If you fall seventy feet, you'll die._

It seemed that neither of them were making much progress. I feared for Kakashi's life. Minato-sensei wasn't done with his own opponent yet, as many times as he glanced anxiously up in Kakashi's direction.

So I made a snap decision. And I ran.

"Kana, where are you going!?" Obito shouted.

But as Obito and Rin called out to me, I ignored them and bounded up to nearly the top of the tree, where Kakashi and the Stone Village ninja fought. As soon as he saw me, Kakashi's eyes filled with shock and distress. "You idiot, get out of here!"

"No," I muttered, holding out a kunai with shaking hands.

The Stone Village ninja regarded me for a few seconds and then laughed. "So this was the best help they could send? I'm disappointed." With one motion, he knocked the kunai out of my hand and grabbed me by the throat.

I gasped for air, trembled in fear. "Let go of her, you bastard!" Kakashi snarled. He moved forward to attack.

But then I realized the Stone Village ninja's mistake. And without needing any further confirmation, I grabbed his wrists. "Sub...zero jutsu," I choked out.

And he screamed. Then he let go, unable to hold his grip. Incidentally, he was also unable to stay on his feet, and he fell. But not before making a reach for Kakashi's leg. Although he could not grip it due to the ice that filled his chakra, he knocked Kakashi off his feet. And Kakashi began falling as well.

In a panic, I screamed, "_No, Kakashi!_" and I dropped to my knees on the branch and snatched a hold of his hand. His weight dragged me down, pulled my arm, and caused me pain. I was not as strong as he was. And as I held on as tightly as I could, I attempted to keep all of the cold locked away. But in this frantic state, it was nearly impossible.

I couldn't drop him; he would die. But what if _I _killed him first?

"Kanata..." Kakashi gasped. "Ack, my hand! Kanata!"

"I'm sorry!" I cried, tears brimming in my eyes. "I can't-"

My arm burned from all the weight. _Oh god, no..._

"Kanata, if you can't... pull me up... just let go!"

I shook my head. "No... not acceptable... I won't drop you!"

"Kanata!" His eyes pleaded with me. I knew I was hurting him. If this went on, I would probably cause him to permanently lose mobility in his hand. But I had no other option. Where was Minato-sensei?

Sobbing in frustration and terror, I screamed. "_Someone, help us!_"

And then a few seconds was all it took. Minato-sensei was beside me, reaching for Kakashi's other hand. As soon as he had it, I let go. Kakashi's hand had turned blue.

When Kakashi safely standing on the tree branch, he clutched his wrist and took in a few heavy breaths. Honestly, he was just lucky that it didn't spread into his entire body like it did the Stone Village ninja.

"I'm sorry it took so long," Minato-sensei said. "Are you all right?"

Kakashi's eyes locked with mine briefly. "I'm fine," he said.

"Kanata?" Minato-sensei gestured to me.

Miserably, I shoved my hands into my pockets. "You used Subzero?" he asked.

"I had to," I whispered. And then I looked at Kakashi's hand. "I'm okay... but Kakashi's hurt."

"It's not a big deal," Kakashi insisted, dropping his hand to his side.

"I'll look at it later," Minato-sensei said. "Let's get down there and meet up with the group."

I followed Minato-sensei back down to the ground without a word. I didn't have it in me to say or do anything else. I was absolutely spent on my energy, and the day wasn't even half over yet.

"What happened up there, guys?" Obito demanded.

"Are you okay?" Rin asked, immediately after.

Before anyone could answer, Misao jumped up and hugged Minato-sensei again. "Oh, my heroes! You fought so bravely! How can I ever repay you?"

Minato-sensei laughed awkwardly and pushed her off of him. "Not... needed, Misao. It's all right. We're all just fine. No need to worry. Let's get going. Once we're out of the area we'll find a place to rest for a little while."

We were nearly home. But with all of us exhausted from the fight, Minato-sensei found a secluded place for us to rest for an hour or so. In the meantime, he examined Kakashi's hand.

"How is it?" I asked.

Minato-sensei smiled. "No need to worry. If we warm it up gradually it'll be as good as new. No frostbite or anything. Considering the circumstances... you did quite well, Kanata."

_Doesn't really feel like it._

"I still just want to know what's going on here!" Obito interrupted. "Something weird happened up there in those trees. Kana... tell us what's going on!"

Both Rin and Obito watched me with confused and curious eyes, and I looked at the floor. A chill ran up my spine.

"Not really any of your business, is it, Obito?" Kakashi murmured, folding his arms across his chest.

"Now..." Minato-sensei warned. "Kanata, it's your choice if you want to tell them."

Would they be afraid? Would they not want to be my friends anymore? I couldn't bear that thought, but I also knew that I could no longer hide the truth. I had to tell them.

So I let out a sigh, squared my shoulders, and I explained everything. My ability, my Kekkei Genkai, my situation, and why I was placed on the team. And when I was done, I braced myself for the worst.

But all I heard was, "Wow, that is the most awesome thing ever." That was Obito.

Rin gave me a sad look. "I can't believe you've been through so much. You should have told us sooner."

I bit my lip. "I guess... I was just worried you guys wouldn't like me anymore."

"What?" Obito exclaimed. "That's ridiculous. You're our teammate; we stand by you no matter what."

And that was the beginning of the end of an era for my life.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello, everyone! Sorry, I've been gone again for a while. Since the holidays, everything has been happening all at once! I actually started this chapter more than two weeks ago and I didn't finish it until this evening! But... for those who read, I will try to update as often as possible. Believe me, I know how it is to start reading a fanfiction and then the author suddenly stops writing. Not fun. So, I'll try to keep up:)**

**Anyway, this is chapter 12, in which Kanata helps Kakashi to recover and Kakashi gives his students a little chakra lesson! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: No Naruto rights.**

Secrets/The Forest of Chakra.

There was a soft knock on the door. Tsunami (Tazuna's daughter) entered the room quietly with my refilled bowl of water and a new rag. "Here you are," she said softly, setting them down.

I smiled. "Thank you." And then I dampened the rag and turned my attention to Kakashi, so that I could dab his warm forehead.

"How is he?" Tsunami asked.

I shrugged. "Better than yesterday when we got here. With the cool water I've been able to bring his fever down. So he certainly isn't in danger anymore. But even if he wakes up, he's not going to be on his feet today."

"And what about you? You don't look too well, yourself."

I shook my head in disagreement. "I'm feeling fine. I was a little exhausted yesterday from the fight... but I slept it off last night. Really, I've just been worried about Kakashi. You just... keep an eye on the kids, okay?"

Tsunami sighed, but nodded. "All right... let me know if you need anything else."

After she exited the room, I was left alone with Kakashi. For a few minutes, I just dabbed at the unmasked half of his face with the cloth, but I soon became tired of it and laid the cloth down across his forehead.

It was all I had been able to do to keep his fever under control. Here in The Land of Waves, we had so few resources, so I was limited in what I could do. Since yesterday, I'd basically just been forced to wait out his fever and try to bring the temperature down gradually. And it had paid off. He was a little warm to the touch, but the fever was nearly gone. Now it was mostly only weakness and fatigue that plagued him.

That also happened to be where I stood. Despite what I told Tsunami, I wasn't in top condition, myself. I might have been fine, if only I had actually slept. But I had spent the entire night in this room with Kakashi, afraid to fall asleep for too long, for fear of allowing the fever to rise again. I would sleep when I knew he was okay. Then, and only then.

I hugged my knees and watched the world out the window absently, slowly gripping and releasing tension in my muscles, in an attempt to relax. Naturally, I'd been on edge since yesterday... exhausted and strained, and yet unable to get a proper sleep. So, since I had it, I took a moment for myself and allowed myself to breathe. _Everything will be fine, now. You can relax. Just slow down and relax._

It was in that moment that Kakashi stirred. His body moved. And the covers that lay over top of him rustled. My eyes flickered toward him as his own eyes fluttered open and looked around. He grunted and touched the rag on his forehead.

I couldn't help smiling, just at the sight of him being finally conscious. "Morning, Sleeping Beauty."

With another grunt, he tried to use his arms to push himself into a sitting position. The rag fell off his head. Grabbing the rag, I pressed my hand against his chest firmly. "Kakashi, no, don't. Please, don't sit up. You're still very weak."

His eyes focused on me, as if it was only then that he noticed my existence, and he carefully returned to his original resting position. I dunked the rag back into the water bowl and replaced it on his head, only this time covering his sharingan eye. Just so that he didn't use up any more chakra.

Kakashi looked up at the ceiling. "Ah... I guess I... overdid it, again, huh?"

"I'd say," I agreed. "By the time we got you here, you had such a high fever... you could have died."

"How long have I been out?" he asked.

"Not all that long. It's been less than twenty-four hours. I'm afraid you've had some very concerned students, though. They wouldn't calm down, no matter what I said."

"Sounds like I caused quite a bit of trouble," Kakashi said. "I'm sorry."

I shrugged. "You're awake now... that's what matters."

"Yeah..." he replied lamely. "But I probably won't be up and moving around properly for at least a week, now."

"Mm..." I nodded in agreement. "Still... what you did out there... was impressive. You were never able to use your sharingan for that kind of extended period when we were younger. I can tell you've improved a lot. And... I never did thank you for saving my life."

"It was only one event out of a dozen others in which you saved _my _life. So... no worries. Which reminds me, how's your arm?"

I touched my bandaged wound. "Fine."

"Let me see it." He reached out his hand.

I instinctively pulled away. "No, I said it's fine. As soon as we got here yesterday, I stopped the bleeding and bandaged it up. I'm perfectly fine."

"I just want to look at it."

"Why are you worrying about me? You're the one who's bedridden."

"Kana..." He sat up half-way and caught my hand.

"You know I don't like being touched," I complained.

He raised an eyebrow. "You never get tired of using that argument, do you?" Without waiting for my answer, he pulled my arm closer to him and carefully pulled my bandage back.

Despite seemingly dismissing my comment about my dislike for being touched, he was extremely gentle after taking my hand. To the point where he was merely holding my arm up, not even gripping it... as if he was afraid it might shatter. As he inspected my arm, a frown formed on his face.

I cleared my throat uncomfortably. "It... looks worse than it is."

"I don't think you paid much attention to this," he murmured. "Kana, please tell me that you didn't completely neglect yourself while taking care of me."

"Well, not completely..." I admitted. What could I say?

"Kana..." He let go of my arm and sighed in exasperation.

"I needed to get your fever under control before I worried about myself," I defended. "I wasn't going to risk you dying just because I had a little scratch or was feeling a little worn out. I could wait. You couldn't."

He sighed again and shook his head. "After all these years... you're still... too kind."

My eyes dropped to my lap. Yes. I supposed I was too kind. Too self-sacrificing. But, although it had always been in my nature to help others first, this wasn't any random person. This was Kakashi. He was a comrade, and, more or less, a friend. Not only that, but on the battlefield, he had put his own life at risk to protect me. Of course I remembered his point that I had saved his life many times, but that was years ago. I couldn't believe that anything that happened back then carried any weight now. Our lives had changed too much. When he first took me under his wing several weeks ago, we were basically strangers.

Softly, I replied, "I'm fine, Kakashi... Zabuza only gave me a scratch. It hardly even hurts."

Kakashi regarded me curiously for a moment, and seemed to hesitate. He spoke carefully. "Speaking of Zabuza... you... know him somehow."

_Oh, fan-flipping-tastic._

"Yeah..." I murmured. "We crossed paths at one point or another."

"Crossed paths?" He raised an eyebrow. "I was... under the impression that the two of you fought."

"We did," I admitted reluctantly.

"You aren't going to tell me what happened, are you?"

I met his gaze. "I... not yet. I can't."

Kakashi scratched the back of his neck with a troubled expression on his face. "Look... Kana... you have your secrets. I guess everyone does to an extent. Your business is your business, and as your friend, I can respect that. But I also have a responsibility to the village. If there's something you're hiding-"

"I'm not out to hurt anyone," I defended honestly. "I know that a lot can change in ten years, but my heart-" I stopped abruptly. I was about to say that my heart belonged to the Leaf. But that wouldn't have been true. My heart didn't really belong anywhere. Although I still cared about the Leaf Village, the love and pride that I once felt didn't exist. Not now. I had been gone for far too long. So instead, I finished with, "The Leaf has nothing to fear from me. I promise that."

Kakashi's eye narrowed, but he nodded. "Okay."

When I didn't reply, but instead watched for skepticism and disbelief, he smiled. "Your breathing patterns change when you lie. You weren't lying this time... so I believe you."

I smiled back, but then looked away and pressed my lips into a thin line. All this time, he knew I was lying about a lot of things. And I'm sure he wasn't the only one. I was starting to think that I had made a huge mistake.

Well... it was settled for now. There was something more important that he needed to know. "I-"

There was no time to finish my sentence before I heard the door open behind me. And a few very anxious children and a bridge builder entered the room.

"Hey, Sensei's awake!" Naruto said with a sigh of relief.

"How're you feeling, Sensei?" Sakura asked.

"I've been better," Kakashi admitted. "But I'm still here. Sorry to have worried you guys."

Sakura shook her head. "You had us worried to death! That sharingan of yours, Kakashi-sensei... it's amazing and all. But I'm not so sure it's worth it if it puts that much strain on you."

"Sorry," Kakashi said with a guilty look on his face.

"He's fine," I assured them. "He overdid it. That's all, but he'll be as good as new before you know it."

"Well..." the bridge builder said. "We have to give him credit. He took down a powerful ninja assassin. That means we'll at least be safe for a while."

_Well... maybe. Unless my hunch is right._

"What about that boy with the mask?" Sakura asked.

My mouth went dry. She'd practically read my mind.

"He's a part of the elite tracking unit from the Village Hidden in the Mist," Kakashi said. "Anbu Black Ops, also known as the Inferno Squad, destroy traces of the corpse of a rogue ninja. A Shinobi's body contains many secrets... jutsu and chakra... medicine. These are secrets of his village. If the enemy got its hands on them, the ninja's village would be in danger. For example... if I died at the hands of an enemy, he would likely analyze my sharingan. Perhaps even steal my jutsu and use it against our village. It is the sacred duty of these trackers to keep their village's secrets safe. If a ninja betrays his village, the Anbu will hunt him down and obliterate him, and destroy all traces of his existence. It's their specialty."

Kakashi lowered his head, as if contemplating a thought. "Tracker ninja deal with the bodies right away, on the spot... so that there's no room for error."

"But that boy didn't," I said. So Kakashi was coming to my conclusion after all.

"What was it that the boy used to strike Zabuza?" Kakashi asked.

"Throwing needles..." Sasuke muttered. And then his eyes widened.

"So... this means that Zabuza is still alive," Kakashi said bluntly.

In response, Tazuna, Sakura, and Naruto had a fit. "_What!?_"

"But..." Naruto protested. "We saw that kid take him down! You said his heart stopped!"

"It did stop," Kakashi said. "But that was only temporary. To simulate death."

I folded my arms across my chest. "The tracker used senbon. And those are rarely ever used to kill. Senbon are modified from needles used for medical treatments. The Anbu Black Ops are trained to understand the human body... so I doubt that stopping a heart temporarily would be a difficult task."

"This is ridiculous!" Tazuna snapped. "You're over-thinking it."

"No..." Kakashi murmured. "It's true. Based on this evidence, we have reason to believe that the tracker meant to save Zabuza, not to kill him. We have encountered suspicion... which means that we plan accordingly. Hesitation may lead us to disaster."

"But... Sensei," Sakura began. "How can we prepare for this when you can barely move?"

Kakashi laughed. "Well... don't forget that we still have Kanata here to protect us. And just because can't fight doesn't mean I can't train you."

"No way!" she exclaimed. "That's not enough. A little last minute training won't make a difference against Zabuza. Kanata was nearly killed, and you could barely defeat him with your sharingan!"

"But why did I manage to stop Zabuza?" Kakashi challenged. "I couldn't have done it without all of you. And Naruto... I believe you've grown the most."

My heart swelled just a little when Naruto smiled. "So you noticed, huh, Sensei? Well, don't you worry about a thing, 'cause I'm just gonna keep getting stronger. Believe it!"

"Well, I don't believe it!" a young voice said from the doorway. There stood a little boy, younger than Naruto, with a sour expression on his face. Since we arrived yesterday, I hadn't seen him once. But I assumed he was Tazuna's grandson.

"Inari, where on earth have you been?" Tazuna demanded as the boy crossed the room and hugged him fiercely.

"Inari..." Tsunami scolded. "That was rude of you. These ninja went through so much trouble to bring your grandfather home."

Tazuna laughed. "It's all right, I'm rude to them too."

_Jerk._

"But mom, don't you see?" the boy said. "These people are just gonna die! That terrible man is gonna come back and kill them all!"

"Ha!" Naruto exclaimed. "No way! You ever heard of a super ninja, kid? Well, that's me, except I'm ten times better. I'm gonna be Hokage. This Gato guy is no match for a hero like me!"

"There's no such thing as heroes," the boy said coldly. "You're just being stupid."

"_What did you say_?" Naruto snarled, moving forward, but I reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Relax, Naruto," I said.

"If you want to live, you should just go home," the boy said, before taking his leave.

I watched him go, feeling sad. Never had I met a child with so much bitterness in his eyes. Something had caused this boy to lose hope in the world. I knew that look, as I had once worn it myself. But for him to be so little...

When Tazuna asked Inari where he was going, he said, "Out to look at the ocean. I wanna be left alone!"

After he slammed the door, I released Naruto, who was still seething with rage.

Later that day, after Kakashi had actually eaten and gotten cleaned up, I put him on crutches and followed him and his students out to the woods for a training lesson.

"All right," Kakashi said. "Let's start with a review of chakra. Understanding chakra is essential."

"Yeah, we know that," Sasuke grumbled.

"Yeah!" Naruto followed up. "A while ago, Kanata gave us a lesson on, uh... catchra!"

"Chakra," I hissed, glaring at him. I rolled my eyes and leaned back against a tree.

"When was this?" Kakashi asked, giving me a look.

"The morning you were hours late to the survival exercise," I said.

"Oh," he said with a smile. "I see... well, then, Sakura. Can you explain chakra for us?"

"All right, listen up, Naruto," Sakura said. "I'll try to explain this simply so you can understand."

As Sakura explained the concept of chakra, I listened closely and almost found myself nodding in approval once or twice. Sure... she may have been the weakest of the three of them and her priorities were a little out of whack. But she did her homework. That much, I could give her credit for.

"Excellent," Kakashi said after she finished. "I can see that Iruka definitely had some wonderful students."

Sakura giggled and blushed shyly.

_She is still kind of an idiot, though._

Naruto groaned. "What's the big deal with all these lengthy explanations? Isn't the whole point to learn the jutsu?"

"For once, I think Naruto is right," Sasuke said. "We're already using chakra as it is."

_Hm. Who knew Sasuke had opinions?_

Not that I agreed. "That's crap," I said. When Sasuke and Naruto gave me surprised looks, I moved toward them. "What did I tell you? You can't just do a jutsu and not know how your chakra works. You may know how to perform jutsu, but you won't perfect anything until you can control your chakra. You've barely scratched the surface with what you're doing now."

"Exactly," Kakashi agreed. "When you perform a jutsu, you must balance your spiritual and physical chakra correctly. Up until now, you've just guessed at proportions. However, if you don't balance your chakra levels perfectly, the jutsu will more than likely fail. Or it will be no more than a joke. You waste so much energy that way. You need to learn control."

"So... how do we do it?" Naruto asked.

"Train so that it becomes second-nature," Kakashi stated. "You'll need to be willing to put your life on the line."

They watched him with fear in their eyes.

_Way to be dramatic._

"What do we have to do?" Sakura asked nervously.

Then, with a smile, Kakashi said, "Climb a tree."

I can't deny that I loved the faces that they gave him when he said that. "What?"

"Just one rule," he continued. "You can't use your hands."

"You're kidding," Sakura said.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Am I?"

He was about to make a sign with his hands, but I stopped him. "No, no. Let me do it. I'm not the one on crutches."

For a second, he looked as if he would argue, but apparently decided against it. "Go ahead."

I silently gathered my chakra with my hands, and I walked toward the nearest tree. I concentrated it into my feet, and stepped up against the trunk. As I started walking up, I could feel the weight from the rest of my body pulling me down, but I paid no mind and continued until I came to a branch. And I simply turned onto it so that I was upside down. The students watched me in amazement.

"You get the idea," Kakashi explained. "You just focus your chakra into the soles of your feet, and use it to connect to the tree."

"How is this gonna help us fight Zabuza?" Sakura demanded.

"It's the only thing that _will _help," Kakashi said. "You learn to focus and maintain a small amount of chakra to a precise point in the body... and theoretically, you'll be able to master any jutsu. This isn't easy to master."

He cleared his throat. "Eventually, this will become effortless. Anyway, let's get you started." As I hopped down from the tree, he supplied each of his students with a kunai. "Use these to mark the tree at the highest point you can reach without using your hands. You'll need to start out by running at the tree so your momentum can send you upward, until you get used to it. All right. Go on."

Naruto grabbed his kunai. "Believe it, Sensei, this'll be a breeze! Remember, you said I've grown the most!"

Kakashi sighed, sounding a little annoyed. "You're definitely the one who talks the most... now just get focused and do it!"

Dejected, Naruto closed his eyes and focused. And they began.

Naruto got about as far as I expected. About three feet off the ground. Sasuke got a bit higher, but still, he often gave too much energy and that was holding him back. But Sakura... she was a different story.

"Hey, this is fun!" she called. Already, she had climbed the tree and sat down on a branch about twenty feet in the air. She had such a bright smile on her face that she almost put the sun to shame. And although Naruto and Sasuke were clearly irritated, I clapped for her.

"Well done, Sakura!"

Kakashi chuckled. "It appears that the female member of the group is the most advanced in chakra control. Well done."

Naruto hid his frustration and grinned up at her. "Way to go, Sakura! I always knew you rocked!"

But Sasuke just looked away and muttered, "Whatever."

_What a sore loser._

"Well," Kakashi said, seeming almost a little smug. "It seems that Sakura both understands chakra, and can control and maintain it. Perhaps she'll be the one to rise to Hokage, eh, Naruto? As for you, Sasuke, maybe the Uchiha Clan isn't so great, after all."

I knew that Kakashi was just trying to motivate them, but seeing the fury in their eyes... I knew that they were aware that they had been criticized. Heavily. And for some reason, it was Sakura who replied. "Quit it, Sensei! You talk way too much!"

Sasuke and Naruto glared at each other. It was clear that what Kakashi said worked. They were ready to push themselves to the limits for this.

They tried once more. And again. And again. And again. Unfortunately, they made little progress as they went along. As inconvenient as it was, using chakra to climb a tree wasn't exactly something that you improved upon over time. Either you could do it or you couldn't. Until it clicked in their mental and physical beings, they weren't going to get very far. But... I was fairly confident that if they continued practicing, they would get eventually. They were tough kids.

While the three students continued to exert their energy on the tree exercise, I pulled Kakashi aside. "Um... are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said with a smile. "No trouble."

"Good..." I looked away and leaned up against a tree.

"So?" Kakashi asked. "Was there anything else?"

I folded my arms. "We... gathered that Zabuza was still alive... and there's a chance he'll come back. But we haven't really discussed that tracker. And his reasons for allowing Zabuza to live."

"Well, we don't know that yet. We'll need to gather more information first. Unless there's something you aren't saying."

I let my eyes flicker up to meet his gaze. He was suspicious. He knew I had something on my mind.

Pausing first to analyze my choice of words, I clicked my tongue softly. "I... about my last encounter with Zabuza, I mean... I fought him. And I beat him. I got lucky, really... but somehow, I managed to be the last one standing. But before I even had a chance to finish him off, this kid showed up... no more than ten years old at the time. And before I could kill him, the boy picked him up and took him away."

Kakashi tapped the handle on his crutch. "So... you're saying that you think this boy who stopped you from killing Zabuza before is the same one that we saw yesterday?"

"Based on the voice and the fact that a about two years have passed... the boy is about twelve now. There's no other explanation I can think of."

"Did you speak to him, then?" Kakashi asked.

I hesitated. "Briefly. He seemed quite... protective of Zabuza..."

"But he didn't engage a conflict?"

There was a long pause. "... No. I suppose he saw no reason to. There was... no way I could have defeated him after such a grueling battle. I knew... just by looking at him that he was strong. It was in his eyes. In a strange way, he was almost frightening. But... no, we never fought. He just took Zabuza away."

Kakashi didn't press me further. "Well... if this kid is really that strong, I suppose we'll just have to be prepared." He glanced over at Naruto and Sasuke and let out a sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Hopefully these guys don't completely wear themselves out, first."


End file.
